Operation Swan
by RowArk
Summary: This picks up right after Emma becomes the Dark One, from the moment the dagger hits the ground. Swan Queen... I'm not saying anything else :) Read and find out :)
1. Chapter 1

**OPERATION SWAN**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 _Henry would have had a better name._

In the moments after the dagger fell, no one moved. No one breathed. They all just stared. Seconds and minutes and hours and days seemed to pass, and no one moved.

 _This isn't real. That didn't just happen._

"Regina…." Snow's panicked voice came from beside her. She didn't turn to look at her, and Snow didn't have to finish the question: Regina already knew what she wanted to ask. Emma was gone and Gold was nearly dead and all things horrible and magical were completely her domain now.

Regina didn't say a word, she just stepped forward and knelt in front of the fallen dagger.

 _Emma Swan_

It was real, after all.

She tried to sort out her thoughts. She didn't know what to do, but she knew she had to keep herself calm and put on a brave front, for the sake of everyone else around her.

 _What am I going to tell Henry?_

She picked up the dagger. It felt heavier than the last time she held it. Much, much heavier. Heavy like the burden that Emma had just taken on for her and all she could think was how she tried so hard to drive her out of Storybrooke and out of her life and even though things were better between them now than they had ever been, Regina _still_ couldn't understand why Emma would make this sacrifice for her. She didn't deserve it. She hoped no one else was thinking that. She was sure they were.

She held up the dagger.

"Emma Swan, I summon thee."

She vowed that this would be the one and only time she used the dagger to control Emma, in any way.

Snow and David stepped closer to her. She didn't have to turn to look, she could just sense them behind her. Hook and Robin were further back, but she was well aware that all eyes were on her. No one was breathing again. Or maybe that was just her.

Nothing was happening.

"Regina? Why isn't it working?" This time, it was David. This time, Regina turned around. This time, she let them see the fear she was sure was painted all over her face.

"I don't know," she admitted. She looked at the dagger again, cursing Rumplestiltskin for finding a way to destroy their lives again, even as he lay nearly dead.

 _Serves him right. Selfish bastard._

"What do we do?" Snow again. Panicked, again.

Regina looked her in the eyes. After everything, Snow deserved that much from her. She deserved Regina's honesty. She wished she had something helpful to say. Instead, "I don't know."

No one breathed.

"Let me think."

And she did think. She thought about Emma telling her she was glad she got to see her get her happy ending. All she wanted was for Regina to go into that church, and she couldn't even do that. She couldn't do that, but Emma could do this, without a second thought. Regina couldn't understand it, still.

But she couldn't go in that church, because she couldn't let Henry die. Even when she didn't know him, she _knew_ him, and she couldn't let him die.

 _What am I going to tell Henry?_

Everyone was staring, still. They thought she was working this out in her head. They thought she would have a solution. She never had the solution. Didn't they know she was always wrong? Always?

"I think… maybe it takes time for the Dark One curse to fully take over." She was pulling this out of her ass, and she knew it. She hoped they couldn't see that. She knew Emma would have seen right through her. "Emma's light magic… it's strong. Maybe I can't summon her, until the curse takes over."

"So where is she now?" It came from Snow or David and it didn't matter who because Regina heard the words and not the voice. She was lost in her own thoughts again. She was asking herself the same question.

Everyone was staring, still. They were looking to her for all the answers. They were searching for their leader. Emma Swan had been that. She had been the leader ever since she declared herself so on the shore of Neverland, and she had been so ever since, whether she meant to be or not. She had lead the troops to save Henry and she never once doubted it was possible. Perhaps that's where Henry got his believer heart from, because Regina knew he certainly didn't learn that from her.

Henry.

Henry knew his father had lost _his_ father to the Dark One curse. Henry had already lost his father. She couldn't let him lose Emma.

Everyone was staring. She knew she needed to say something.

"Emma's a survivor. We all know that," she started. To her surprise, Snow and David seemed to visibly relax. "So for now, have the Sheriff's station on alert. Get everyone out, looking for her. If she's in Storybrooke, we need to find her. If she crosses the town line, well then we know she's safe there. Look for her here."

"You think she would cross the town line?" David asked.

Regina shrugged. "It's what I would do."

"What about the dagger?" Snow asked.

Regina looked down at the dagger in her hand. "I'll hold on to it, for now. It's powerful magic. When we find Emma, she can decide what we do with it."

"Regina," Robin spoke up, for the first time. "She'll be the Dark One. Is it wise to let her choose?"

"She'll still be Emma," Regina insisted. She didn't actually know if that was true. Rumple was the only Dark One she'd ever known. She didn't know how, exactly, the curse changed him. Or how long it took.

 _Emma, please still be Emma._

"You guys, start looking. If you find her, call me. I've got to talk to Henry." Regina turned to head back to the diner. Robin started to follow her, but Regina stopped him. "I've got to do this on my own. Please, help them look for Emma."

The clicking of her heels on the wet pavement was the only sound as Regina walked alone to the diner. She cool metal of the dagger against her palm was troubling. She couldn't think about what she was going to say to Henry. She could only think about Emma's eyes as she held that dagger up. She didn't even hesitate.

The diner had cleared out considerably now, from how busy it had been when she was there earlier. She was grateful for that. Henry was still sitting at a booth, with hot chocolate and his book. It really was his book now, more than ever. The next author. She should have known it would always be him. Operation Mongoose had been about finding the author. She had no idea the book was trying to find an author as well.

She knew he could read the look on her face, even before she sat down.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Henry's eyes fell to the dagger, almost immediately. Regina had made sure, at least, to hide Emma's inscribed name from his view.

"Henry, we need to talk."

Henry listened intently as Regina told him all she knew. She told him about the darkness, and how it had enveloped her. She told him about the dagger, and Emma's sacrifice. He didn't respond right away. He just took it all in, and mulled it over in his mind.

"She's still the savior," he said, finally.

"Henry, she's becoming the Dark One."

"No, that's not what I meant. She sacrificed herself, because she's the savior. She never wanted that title, but she can't help but live up to it."

"We're going to find her," Regina stated, not that Henry appeared worried. She was worried.

"I know, Mom. She'll be fine."

 _The Truest Believer_. Emma wasn't the only one who always lived up to her title.

"She's a hero," Regina said, "just like you."

"And you," Henry added, though he knew his mother still didn't associate herself with that word. "And heroes always win."

"Operation Swan," Regina said, though she hadn't originally meant to say it out loud.

Henry smiled. "It's perfect. I love it."

 _It's perfect._

 _He loves it._

 _He would have had a better name._

Regina took Henry back to the Sheriff's station, as he wanted to help the search party. Regina made sure David knew, on no uncertain terms, that he was never to let Henry out of his sight, not that she thought he would anyway. She just needed to feel like she had some semblance of control over the situation.

She then headed to her vault where all her books of magic were stored. She needed to read, to find something, to learn something of this curse. Or of this sorcerer, _Merlin_ , who David told her about at the station. She knew her magic books were a long shot, but no more so than the books Robin and Hook were currently poring through at the library. Regina knew they would be better off with Belle's help there, but she was currently preoccupied with her dying estranged husband, and Regina knew they had to let her be with him.

As she walked down the concrete stairs to her vault, she was acutely aware of someone else's presence, though she couldn't tell who. Someone familiar and unfamiliar all at once.

She turned the corner to see Emma, standing, waiting.

"Emma!" Regina gasped.

Emma glanced at the dagger with cold eyes. Her eyes were also familiar, and unfamiliar, all at once. "Why are you surprised? You summoned me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Emma didn't know exactly what would happen when she held the dagger up to the tornado of blackness that was threatening to swallow Regina whole, she just knew she had to make it stop. It had to be her, there was no question. She was the savior, after all.

She expected the darkness to envelop her. She didn't expect it to feel like slick oil pouring over her skin. She didn't expect to feel it penetrate every pore, every molecule, every fibre of her being. It was invasive and demanding and terrifying and exhilarating and she felt weak and powerful all at once.

And at once, it was over.

She wasn't on the street anymore. She was above, floating, lost. She was a mere ball of consciousness; no body, just a soul. She was spinning and turning and blinded and breathless. The darkness was seeping into her very being, reaching every corner, and there was no place to hide.

She landed with a thud, somewhere in the woods. So, apparently she still had a body after all.

She stood up and looked around. She didn't have the dagger anymore. She wondered if anyone left standing on that street had had the good sense to pick it up. Someone would, she knew. She wondered who.

She looked around, trying to get her bearings. She felt different, and yet, the same. She wasn't sure what this curse was supposed to feel like, but she still felt like herself. She shot a little magic from her palms. Still white. She was still good.

She reached into her pocket for her phone. It was smashed, she assumed from the fall. She tried to turn it on, anyway, but to no avail. She knew she was still in Storybrooke – she still had magic – so she knew she could find her way home, even without it.

Killian had taught her a little about getting directions from the stars. Very little, but just enough that she was able to figure out east from west and north from south, but she wasn't exactly sure how that was supposed to help her now when she didn't know where home was, relative to where she was currently.

She considered using magic to poof back home. She wondered how long it would take for her magic to turn dark. She thought maybe she better not risk it.

Something inside her told her to go east. She couldn't think of a good reason to go in any other direction, so she decided to follow her instincts. She started walking.

 _Emma Swan, I summon thee._

It was Regina's voice, but she didn't hear it in her head. She felt it in her soul. Regina had the dagger. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried. A part of her felt extremely compelled to go to her, but another part of her told her to keep going east. She wondered if east was also Regina.

"No, I picked east before she tried to summon me," Emma said, out loud.

The pull to go to Regina was lessening as she continued to walk. She thought this curse was supposed to be stronger than this. She seemed to be defeating it without much conscious effort. She wondered if perhaps it was her light magic. She wondered if perhaps Rumplestiltskin had never been good, and that's why he turned so evil. She didn't feel herself turning evil. The darkness was not snuffing out the light.

The curse had done _something_ , she knew because she had felt Regina's summons. But she thought the dagger was supposed to control her. She didn't think she was supposed to be able to fight back.

She stopped.

What if Regina was east? What if she was walking to her now? What if she was following the summon?

She considered that she could turn, but then she wondered what if the direction she turned was Regina?

Oh, God, she didn't know what to do. She thought maybe she should just stay where she was. That really was the only way to really disobey the summoning, wasn't it? Stand still and wait for someone to find her? But how long would she wait?

She should just poof herself home. Or to the street where the curse took her.

No. That's where Regina was. That was following the summoning.

She wanted to see Regina and make sure she was okay, but she didn't want to go because she was compelled to. No. She needed to be sure he saw someone else first. If she went to someone else first, then she didn't follow the command. If she didn't follow the command, then she was stronger than the curse. If she was stronger than the curse, she would survive. It wouldn't blacken her heart.

She chose east before Regina summoned her. She would continue going east.

She shot another flash of magic out from her hand as she walked. It was still white.

In the bushes ahead, she saw something moving. She paused, and looked. It was a wolf. No, not _a_ wolf. _The_ wolf. The wolf who had prevented her from leaving Storybrooke. The wolf who led her to Lily. It was looking at her. Its eyes were looking into her soul.

She crouched down, and looked into its eyes. It looked spooked. Was she causing that?

The wolf took off running towards the west. Emma stood and watched it until it was gone. Should she go west? Was it a sign?

No. She chose east.

She kept walking.

She wondered if this indecision was part of the curse. She wondered if she was doomed to be at war with herself from now on. Was she at war with herself? Or was this the battle of dark versus light?

She kept walking.

She wondered what she would tell Henry. She hoped he would understand. She hoped someone else would tell him first. She had let him down enough already.

She kept walking.

She thought about the years she had been locked in a tower in the Enchanted Forest. It hadn't really been years. It had really been less than a day. In her memory, it was years. And it was agony. She lived her whole life without her parents, and ten years without her son, and she had survived, because she didn't know what she was missing. Those years in the tower were torture because she _did_ know, and she wanted them back.

She kept walking.

She thought about what this curse would do to her parents and Henry. They had survived fine without her because they didn't know. Now they did know. It would be torture. She had to win this battle.

She stopped walking. She was at the edge of the woods. She was nearly to town. East had been correct.

She walked into town, quickly, on the wet pavement, until she reached the spot where she had been when the curse overtaken her. No one was around. Was this where Regina had stood when she summoned her? Did she follow the command, after all, just a little too slowly? She couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, she wanted the dagger.

She needed it.

She started walking.

She wondered if Regina still had it. She wondered if she would have to force her to give it back. She wondered where these thoughts were coming from.

The darkness.

Oh, God.

It was taking over.

Emma shook her head and picked up her pace. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. She wasn't looking around. There was no one out here, anyway.

She was running.

She couldn't tell if she was running from the darkness, or to it. It was choking her. It was suffocating her. She knew it.

She was in the woods again. A different part. A part she knew. She fell to her knees.

"Breathe. Breathe," she instructed herself. And she started breathing. Her heart rate started to return to normal. The darkness didn't have her. Not yet.

She let a spark of magic go from her fingers. Was it her imagination, or was there a little yellow mixed in with the white this time? She didn't want to try again.

She got up and started walking. It didn't even occur to her to question where she was headed this time. She was in autopilot – walking, and not thinking.

She arrived at Regina's vault.

She stood and stared. She didn't mean to come here. She wasn't sure why she did. She looked around, but Regina's car wasn't there. Perhaps she wasn't there. Of course she wasn't there. Why would she be?

Emma walked up to the door and opened it. She didn't know why.

She pushed Regina's father's coffin away, revealing the stairs. She didn't know why.

She used her magic to push the coffin back, once she was at the bottom of the stairs. She really didn't know why.

She stood near the wall and watched the stairs. She avoided looking at her reflection in the mirror. This curse wasn't going to turn her into a shimmery-skinned crocodile, but she still didn't want to look at her own eyes.

She just stood, and waited. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. She couldn't make herself do anything else.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard the distinct sound of the coffin being moved again, and Regina's heels on the concrete stairs.

"Emma!" she gasped.

There it was: the dagger. Emma wanted it back. It represented her soul and her free will and she wanted it back.

Now.

Regina was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Why are you surprised? You summoned me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Regina was acutely aware of the feeling of the dagger in her hand as she observed Emma. She couldn't help but think about what this dagger truly meant. With Rumple, it was just a magical object. It was tied to him but it didn't matter to Regina. It had nothing to do with her. He was the Dark One long before she crossed his path.

But this dagger – Rumple's dagger and Emma's dagger – it was different now. It was the same, and it was different. This dagger meant something. It was Emma's soul and Emma's free will and Emma's sacrifice and Emma's trust. Emma's trust, in Regina.

Emma looked Regina in the eyes, and wondered how long they had been staring at each other. Seconds and minutes and hours and days. Maybe just seconds. All she knew is she wanted that dagger. She needed it.

"How do you feel?"

The question shocked Emma. She wasn't expecting it. She hadn't been thinking about how she felt. She shook her head, in confusion.

"I'm… I'm not sure," she confessed. Her voice was still her own. She wasn't sure what she expected.

"Emma," Regina stepped closer. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why would you sacrifice yourself for me?"

"I promised you I'd help you get your happy ending," Emma replied. Her desire to hold the dagger was diminishing.

"But I didn't want it to come at your expense," Regina said. Emma could tell by her eyes that she was telling the truth.

"Then don't let it," Emma said, her voice suddenly pleading. She was feeling a moment of clarity. She wasn't sure how many of these she would have left. "I can already feel it, this curse, taking over. You have to help me."

"I will. How?" Regina asked. She didn't really expect Emma to have an answer. How could she?

Emma looked at the dagger again. "I want that."

Regina held it tighter. She didn't want to hand it over, not to Emma when she was confused and frightened.

Emma couldn't pry her eyes off of it. "I want it and I don't want it. That's what this feels like. Everything is one thing and another at the same time. I don't know how else to explain it. But I feel like I _need_ that. It feels like a part of me."

"I think it is, now," Regina said, starting to truly understand.

"I feel like I can't trust the things I want right now. I don't know what is me and what is the curse. So while I'm sure that _I'm_ still here, please promise me something. Please, don't let me have that dagger. You have to protect it." Emma was pleading, and something in her eyes looked far away and lost.

She was asking Regina to protect the dagger, but Regina was sure she was actually asking her to protect _her._

"Okay," Regina agreed. She held up the dagger and poofed it from sight, in a cloud of purple smoke.

Emma felt panicked. "Where did you send it?"

Regina shook her head. "No. It's better if you don't know."

Emma nodded, slowly, as she wrapped her arms around herself. The gravity of what she had actually done was starting to truly hit her. She had told her parents to find a way to take the darkness out of her again, but she wasn't even sure that was possible.

It started to hit her that she had just doomed herself to a lifetime of immortality. She would grow darker and darker and her heart would blacken and she would watch everyone around her die.

 _That doesn't sound much like a happy ending._

She had never cared about her own happy ending, until this point. Maybe she assumed that she didn't deserve one. Or maybe she assumed that happy endings were only reserved for fairy tale characters – even Evil Queens who Emma fought tooth and nail for without a second thought and never once asked herself why. She didn't need to ask. It was her job. She was the savior.

Maybe she wasn't meant to be happy.

Before she was fully aware of it, her hand was moving up to her chest, and delving into the flesh. She pulled out her heart.

"Emma!" Regina gasped.

Emma held it up, observing it carefully. It was bright and red, but there was a small black spot, near the center.

"Is that Cruella? Or the curse?" she asked. She was really just thinking out loud, but she hoped Regina would offer some insight, anyway.

"I don't… I'm not sure," Regina admitted. She stepped forward, putting her hand over Emma's, and pushing her heart back into her chest. She remained there, her hand over Emma's, whose hand was flat against her skin now. She searched Emma's eyes for any hint of the darkness, but all she saw was Emma.

"It will turn black, though. Like Gold's," Emma said, finally.

Regina didn't move her hand. "That took four hundred years, Emma."

She nodded again. She felt her heart beating in her chest. It felt like something real and solid to hold on to. An anchor. She wanted Regina to hug her, and hold her, and tell her everything would be okay. She wasn't sure where that thought came from. That had to be her. The darkness wouldn't seek comfort, even from an Evil Queen.

"We should go," Regina said, finally, as she removed her hand from Emma's. Emma felt an unexpected sense of loss from that. She suddenly felt like she needed human contact to remain human.

"Come on," Regina said, when Emma made no attempt to follow her toward the stairs. "Everyone's worried about you. They need to know you're okay."

"Am I okay?" Emma asked, as she started to move toward her again.

"Right now, I think you are. That's all they need to know for now."

"Henry?"

Regina smiled. "I told him. He still thinks you're a hero. Maybe even more so than before."

Emma smiled back, thinly.

"What made you come to my vault?" Regina asked, as they headed back into town in her Mercedes. They never took her car, anywhere. Regina never drove. Things were already different, and Emma found it unsettling.

"I don't know," Emma said. "I couldn't help it. I think I was compelled to, because you summoned me. I tried to fight it, but I just… I couldn't."

"Emma… in case it doesn't go without saying, I want you to know, I'll never use that dagger to control you. I only tried to summon you, because we needed to find you."

Emma nodded. "That would have gone without saying."

A silent revelation passed between them, then; an acknowledgement that Emma really did trust Regina. Regina wasn't used to having the trust of others, and she didn't take that lightly. She knew she owed Emma, and she knew she needed to find a way to repay her for this sacrifice. It started with protecting the dagger, but that wasn't enough. That wasn't nearly enough.

They pulled up in front of the Sheriff's station, and Emma looked warily at the door. "I guess I should turn in my badge." She wanted it to come out jokingly, but her voice was somber.

"Why would you do that?" Regina asked.

"How could the Dark One protect the citizens of Storybrooke?" Emma asked, turning to Regina. It was a serious question.

"You're not the Dark One. You're just Emma. I said I would protect your heart, and I will."

Emma nodded, though she didn't really believe her. How could she? This was the most powerful curse in existence. The strongest curse Regina ever cast was undone by a simple kiss. She wasn't any match for _this_ curse. No one was.

Emma shook her head, and Regina could tell she was battling whatever conflicting thoughts were ambushing her now. "Come on, let's go inside," she said, trying to break Emma out of her inner war.

Emma followed her into the station, a little reluctantly. Henry was the first one to see her, and he ran to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

She needed this.

"Hey, kid." She forced a smile, for his sake, as she broke away a bit, to look at his face. He didn't look at her differently. She wasn't sure why she had expected him to.

David and Snow were right there now too, hugging her. Snow looked worried and David looked relieved. Some things never change.

Snow glanced at Regina, noting her now empty hands. "Where is it?" she asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, it's better if no one else knows," she insisted. "I don't even know."

It surprised Regina, but she didn't disagree, either. She didn't expect that the Charmings would ever intentionally use the dagger against Emma, either, but she knew how much Snow worried and she knew that she had a tendency to do things that she thought were helpful but just blew up in her face. That, she knew, far too well. It was better if no one else knew.

Snow was looking at Regina, warily. She knew that she didn't have her entire trust, no matter how much Snow seemed to be her friend now. She would never fully have her trust, and she knew she didn't deserve it, either. But Emma was right in this, and it was Emma who she owed right now, not Snow.

Well, that wasn't entirely true, either.

"So you're just… you?" Snow asked, turning her attention back to Emma.

Emma nodded. "So far. Nothing's changed, yet."

Regina wasn't sure why Emma was lying. She was confused as to why she would tell her the truth and lie to her parents, until she saw the smile of relief spreading across Snow's face.

 _Oh._

Emma, who forever felt responsible for everyone's happiness but her own was trying to make up for being angry with her parents by lying to them to but their minds at ease. Regina wasn't sure that was the best course of action, but she was also in no position to be telling Emma what to do.

"So, what's next?" David asked, looking expectantly at Emma. Regina realized, even with the curse, everyone was still looking to Emma to be the leader. The pressure was off of her, for now, and she knew she shouldn't feel as relieved about it as she was.

"Well… I suppose we start looking for this sorcerer? Merlin?" Emma suggested. She turned to look back at Regina for a moment.

And Regina realized then, that something had changed in Emma's eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

 _Emma's sure she's slipping. She can feel it. She wishes Gold were awake so she could ask him if this is how it's supposed to feel. She wants to ask him what to expect. She wishes he were dead. She's not sure if that's her or the curse thinking that. She can't be sure of any of her thoughts anymore. She doesn't want this internal war to be showing on her face. She's good at hiding her emotions. She's put up walls her entire life, what's one more?_

"So, where do we start?" David asked, "to find the sorcerer, I mean? No one's heard of him."

"Blue has," Regina pointed out. She tried to keep her wary eyes on Emma, without alerting anyone else with her concern. She was thankful that David seemed oblivious.

"Right, she has," Henry chimed in, remembering that day in the diner before the Chernabog came crashing into town.

"Kid, why don't you just grab the book and write 'and the sorcerer walked right into the sheriff's station'?" Emma asked, with a shit-eating grin on her face. She was met with a somber look from her son. "Hey, lighten up, I was kidding."

"How about we just find the fairy?" Regina cut in.

"Yeah. Okay. Awesome," Emma said, flatly.

As the group headed on foot to reach the fairies, Regina grabbed Emma's arm, pulling her back behind the others, so they could talk. If the Charmings noticed, they said nothing, as the group trudged on, as always.

"You okay?"

"Please tell me you're not going to be asking me that every five seconds," Emma groaned. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Yes, well, you said that before we left for New York, and I think we can both agree that you most certainly did."

Emma wanted to object, but decided against it. Regina had talked her down from a very dangerous ledge on that trip, and that wasn't something that Emma took lightly, nor would she forget it any time soon. But, that had been different. Then, Emma had just been a person, in a land without magic. Here, she was the Savior and the Dark One, and she was sure no one could just talk her down from anything. Not now.

She chose not to answer Regina, because she really wasn't sure if she was okay. Part of her wished the curse would just take over completely. She was sure that hell was better than being stuck here in purgatory, not knowing which side would win: darkness or light.

At least darkness was a destination. Right now, she was just standing on the platform, waiting to board the train. The ticket was bought, but she didn't have a map, and that was terrifying.

"Emma!" Regina said, in a harsh whisper, drawing her back into the present.

Emma blinked a couple times, and looked back at her. "What?"

"Where did you go just now?"

"Nowhere… Regina, I was just thinking."

"Okay," Regina sighed, reluctantly, "but just promise me you'll talk to me, okay? About whatever's going on. You're not alone in this."

"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help. I know you think you owe me, but trust me, I am very much alone in this. It's the curse of the Dark _One_ , not the Dark Posse. If I had a single fucking clue what was happening right now, I would tell you, but…"

"Emma, I might not know this curse, but you know I know darkness. And I know that look in your eyes."

"What look?"

"That emptiness. Darkness burns a hole into your heart, and it leaves you forever searching for something to fill it with," Regina tried to explain.

"I don't feel empty, I just feel… too full, actually. Like it's me and it's the darkness and I honestly don't know which is which anymore. Do you think it's supposed to happen this fast? How long until there's no me, and just darkness?"

"We won't let it come to that," Regina assured her.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Emma didn't wait for Regina to respond before quickening her pace to walk beside Henry. She knew Regina wouldn't keep pressing for information with their son in earshot. They were nearly to the fairies, anyway, and Emma hoped that Blue really could offer some insight, or at least give them a place to start.

Blue was waiting for them on the street as they neared. Emma knew she shouldn't be surprised. That fairy always knew more than she was letting on.

"You took on the curse of the Dark One," Blue commented, as Emma approached. Emma fought the urge to call her Captain Obvious, since she was sure she wouldn't get the reference anyway.

"Yeah, I did," Emma said, with a shrug. She wasn't entirely sure being flippant was the right response, either. She didn't know what was the right respond to anything anymore. She wondered if this was what it was like when the curse took over Gold. She couldn't imagine him ever being anything but his cool, calm, calculating self, at all times. She wondered if she would become cool and calculating, too.

"Why?" Blue pressed. "To save _her?"_

Regina drew in a sharp breath as the fairy shot her a cold look. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Emma cut in before she could.

"It doesn't matter. We need to find the sorcerer, Merlin. Where is he?"

"No one has seen him in centuries," Blue replied. "No one knows if he's even still alive."

Emma shook her head. "No, you have to give us something to go on, here. He's the only one who can stop this curse. He's the only person who is stronger than it."

"That may have been true, at one time, but Emma… you're going to have to find another way. There is no way you'll track him down before the curse takes over. Once it overtakes you, he wouldn't be able to destroy it without destroying you in the process."

"No!" Emma insisted, stepping closer to the fairy. Instinctively, Blue took a step back. "You're wrong. The Apprentice, he extracted the curse from Gold. Merlin could do the same to me, and destroy it."

Blue shook her head, trying her best to look sympathetic. "It's not the same. Gold was nearly dead. The curse was already preparing to make its move. You remember that vast potential for darkness you had? Your parents, they took the darkness out, but all they left was a gaping hole where it used to be. In you, this curse will be stronger than ever. You were the worst person it could have entered."

Emma stared at Blue, unable to respond.

David stepped up. "So what do we do?"

"I wish I knew," Blue said, keeping her eyes on Emma. "Emma, are you alright?"

Without warning, Emma shot her hands out, sparks of white magic mixed with deep yellow shot out, throwing the fairy to the ground.

For a moment, no one moved.

No one even breathed.

It felt like an eternity.

Then Snow turned and rushed to the fallen fairy, as David took a step back from Emma. Henry turned to look at Regina, who was watching Emma as she lifted her hand and looked at her palms, in more shock than anyone else there.

"Mom?" Henry asked, tentatively. Regina wasn't sure if he meant her or Emma, but Emma turned to look at him for one moment, and then waved her hands, poofing away in a cloud of yellow smoke.

"Oh, God," Regina said. Blue was sitting up now. She wasn't dead, at least. She wasn't going to be another black spot on Emma's heart; another checkpoint down the path towards darkness.

"Mom!" Henry cried. He didn't have to say anything else for her to know what he was saying.

"I'll find her," she vowed.

"Use the dagger, call her back!" Henry pleaded.

"I can't," Regina sighed. She knew as wise beyond his years as her son was, he was still a little too naïve to understand the repercussions that violating Emma's trust as well as her body autonomy would have. "David, you and Snow need to keep Henry for now, okay? I'll find Emma," she said, before poofing herself away, back to her vault.

She wasn't sure why she thought Emma would come here again, but she was still surprised when she found the vault empty. She couldn't believe the curse was taking over this quickly.

Regina stood in front of her mirror and used her magic to see where Emma was. The docks. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Hook was there, which also didn't surprise her, but rather annoyed her, as he was supposed to be at the library researching a way to help Emma.

She watched as Emma cried and he held her, and was about to wave the image away when she saw something peculiar happen. Emma leaned forward to kiss him, but after just a few moments, pushed him away. She said something else, and then poofed herself away again.

Instantly, she appeared in the vault in a cloud of yellow smoke.

Regina had been right about the place, just a little off about the timing.

Emma glanced at the mirror, seeing Hook standing there, looking confused. Regina quickly waved the image away.

"You were watching me?" Emma asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No, I was looking for you," Regina said. It wasn't entirely a lie, though she had absolutely watched longer than she needed to.

"Blue?"

"She's fine. That pixie needs to be knocked down a few notches anyway," Regina tried to joke, hoping to break the tension a little.

"She didn't do anything to deserve it. I don't even know what came over me. Suddenly, I just… I couldn't control myself."

Regina nodded, thinking back to the countless people she had killed for no reason. She wasn't even cursed, but she understood fully what losing control felt like.

"What just happened?" Regina asked, motioning towards the mirror – which was now just a mirror – but referring to whatever just happened between Emma and Hook.

"Belle once told me that she nearly broke Gold's curse with True Love's Kiss. I thought… maybe it was worth a try?" Emma shrugged. "He thinks I'm his happy ending. I thought maybe that would be enough."

"You don't think he's your happy ending?"

"I don't think I get a happy ending," Emma admitted.

"That seems too cruel a fate for the one who was destined to bring everyone else's happy endings back," Regina said, taking a step forward.

"Where's Henry?" Emma asked, trying to quickly redirect the conversation. She felt enough like herself right now to know she didn't want to let all her walls down at once. And this was a big one.

"With your parents."

"Good. He's safe with them. I can't be around him, not now… not until I know exactly what this is going to do to me. Can I…." Emma's voice trailed off, and she looked at Regina expectantly, hoping she would catch her drift.

"Stay with me?" Regina offered. Emma nodded. "You may. It's probably the best place for you now, since, besides the fairies, you and I are the only ones left with magic. And I highly doubt Blue's in the mood for a sleepover."

"You think I should send her a card? Does Hallmark make an 'I'm sorry I magicked your ass to the ground, bitch' card?" Emma smirked.

"I'm glad you still have your sense of humour, Swan, as terrible as it may be. Now, call your parents and tell them you're fine, and let's get to work. Regardless of how any of us feel about the Blue Fairy, we have to assume she's right in that we don't have much time."

"I broke my phone," Emma replied, with a mock pout.

"Of course you did," Regina rolled her eyes, before handing over her BlackBerry. She was glad to see that Emma was somewhat herself at this moment, more so than she had been all night.

She wondered if perhaps her kiss with Hook had done something. But she could still sense dark magic in Emma, and it was getting stronger, not weaker.

She was sure the curse was still fully intact, and still waxing and waning, until it took over completely.

She shuddered as she realized that this was likely just the calm before the storm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Emma and Regina sat on the floor in the vault, looking through books on magic. Emma had a pile of discarded books around her. A lot of them were written in languages she didn't understand, but Regina had a feeling she was barely reading the ones in English either.

"Don't accept defeat so easily," Regina said, as Emma tossed another book away.

"I'm not," Emma insisted, though she made no attempt to pick up another book.

"Yes, you are. Trust me, I know what defeat looks like."

"Regina, no offense, but you literally have no idea what I'm going through right now. Your darkness evolved over time. Mine is just inside me all at once. It's not something I can just walk away from, or soldier through. It's going to suffocate me from the inside out. It's taking over, no matter what," Emma said, as she leaned back against the hard wall behind her and looked up at the ceiling.

"That's defeat, Emma. You've decided you lost the battle before it even begins. What do you honestly think is going to happen to you, here? Gold was the Dark One for as long as either of us knew him. What makes you think it's going to take over you completely? He was still capable of love. He wasn't nearly as strong as you are, and he was still able to hold on to some of his goodness."

"Some," Emma repeated. "Not all. Not even most. I don't want to lose who I am."

"I know," Regina nodded. "And I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Emma sighed.

"Isn't it?" Regina asked, putting the book she was holding down and looking at Emma. "I made you fight so hard for my forgiveness, that you took on my selfish quest for a happy ending as your own."

"It's not selfish to want happiness," Emma pointed out.

"It is when I don't deserve it."

Emma shook her head. "Talking like this isn't helping anything," Emma said, kicking a few books further from her. "I don't want to do this anymore. Can we just leave? Maybe I can find the answer at the bottom of a bottle of Jack."

"We can leave, but I'm not about to let you drink yourself into oblivion tonight," Regina said, standing.

Emma rolled her eyes and stood up. "Fine. But you have to keep me distracted before I drive myself crazy thinking about this."

Regina nodded, and led the way back up the stairs of the vault. Neither woman said a word as they climbed into Regina's Mercedes again. Emma didn't comment on the fact that Regina driving had become the new default. She wondered if she was doing it to take pressure off of Emma, or if she didn't trust Emma behind the wheel anymore.

She wished she didn't have to second guess every little thing right now.

Emma fiddled with the radio while Regina drove.

"Emma, it's a two minute drive. Can you please just sit still?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head, and landed on a Tom Jones song she hadn't heard in years. " _Daughter of Darkness_ ," she commented. "Is this a fucking joke?"

"It's a coincidence," Regina said, reaching her hand forward to turn off the radio completely as she pulled into the driveway.

Emma nodded absently as she pushed the car door open and followed Regina into her house.

"Oh, Emma," Regina said, turning back to her, "we should have stopped at the loft and got your stuff,"

Emma smiled and shook her head. Without a word, she waved a hand and a suitcase appeared in a cloud of yellow smoke. "Ta-da!"

Regina looked at her warily. "How did you know how to do that?"

Emma shrugged. "I've been practicing, you know that. I think the yellow smoke is just the new normal for me now."

"Okay," Regina agreed. "You can put your things in the guest room, upstairs. It's the second door on the right."

Emma nodded and carried her suitcase up the stairs. She had never been upstairs in Regina's home before, and walked slowly, taking it all in. There were so many pictures of Henry, and Emma had to smile at that. She was grateful that he still had Regina, just in case he lost her to this curse, the way Neal had lost Rumple.

Emma shuddered at the thought, and quickly tried to push it out of her mind. She wouldn't let Henry lose her. She couldn't.

Emma opened her suitcase on the bed, and slipped out of her skinny jeans, and into a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. If her head was going to be a whirlwind of competing thoughts, she figured at least her body could be comfortable.

She looked down at her hands. They looked normal. She thought back to when she had encountered Rumplestiltskin in the past in the Enchanted Forest, how his skin had been shiny and scaly, like a crocodile. She wondered if she would look the same, there.

Crocodile.

Emma thought of Hook and how she had just left him standing on the docks. She felt a little bad for leaving him there, but she hoped he would understand that he wasn't the one to help her now. At the docks, he had expressed his disapproval of Emma allowing Regina to control the dagger, but Emma couldn't think of a better person to do so. It wasn't just because Regina owed her, but also because Regina knew, better than anyone, how it felt to be manipulated, and Emma was sure she wouldn't do the same.

Crocodile.

The image of Rumple's crocodile skin kept returning to Emma, and she thought of how Rumple had killed Milah in front of Hook, all those centuries ago. He killed his wife, the mother of his child, in cold blood. Was she really supposed to believe that was the man he was before the curse? No, she was sure that _was_ the curse. How could anyone think she was going to walk away from this unscathed?

Emma sighed and closed her suitcase, and headed back down the stairs to talk to Regina. She had an idea, the only one that seemed plausible at the moment, and she needed to run it past Regina first, to make sure it actually made sense and it wasn't deranged thinking caused by the curse.

"I think I need to leave Storybrooke," Emma said, the moment she walked into the kitchen. Regina looked up, shocked, from the glasses of red wine she was pouring. She handed a glass to Emma without a word, and motioned for her to follow her out onto the back porch.

Emma followed her out and sat down next to her on the porch swing. Regina took a sip of her own wine, and then looked at Emma. "Why?"

"It's the only way. There's no magic past the town line. I can't be the Dark One there," Emma reasoned.

"So, what, you just leave and never come back, then? You leave your parents and Henry?" Regina avoided adding _and me_ to the end of that sentence. She purposely left Hook out of the list, as she felt he had been of no help in protecting Emma's heart in the weeks that led up to this, either.

"What else can I do? Stay here and turn into a monster?" Emma said, as she placed her untouched wine onto the table beside her. She needed to keep her head clear right now.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Emma. You want to take the most drastic measure possible the first chance you get. You can't think like that when you have people here who love you."

"It's not the most drastic measure. It's not like I'm saying I'm going to kill myself!" Emma insisted.

"You're immortal now," Regina reminded her, "you couldn't if you tried."

"Right. Exactly. But I can just move someplace close. We have the Snow Queen's scroll, anyone could come see me whenever. We have phones, Facebook, all that. It's the safest way, for everyone," Emma explained.

"No. It's the easiest way. Running away is always easiest, but that doesn't make it best," Regina pointed out. "What's going to happen when your magic manifests wherever you are, and none of us are around to help you? It's happened before. I saw it happen when you fought with Lily on the street. You are infinitely more powerful now. How can you assume that's just going to disappear when you cross the town line?"

Emma looked down at her hands again. Regina was right, as per usual. "So, what then? What else is there?"

"I don't know, yet," Regina admitted. "But we'll figure it out. I promise."

Emma nodded and stared out across the dark yard. "The darkness is addictive, isn't it?" she asked, not turning to look at Regina.

"What do you mean?"

"When I use my magic – my light magic – I just do it, and then I stop. I don't have the urge to do it again. This dark magic though, it feels different. Every time I use it, all I can think of is using it again. Knocking Blue on her ass felt so good, and that terrifies me."

"I know," Regina said, as she reached over and took one of Emma's hands in her own. "I remember how it felt the first time I used it, too. It's a dangerous ledge, Emma. When I stood there, all I had was Rumple to push me over. You're not in the same position, because no one's pushing you, Emma."

"This curse is," Emma acknowledged, and Regina didn't disagree.

They sat in silence a little while longer, before they headed inside to try to get some sleep. Emma brought her untouched glass of wine back inside and Regina didn't comment as she poured it down the drain.

Hours later, Regina was startled awake by the sound of screaming from down the hall. She shot up in bed and looked around, panicked, for a moment, as all of the lights in her room flashed on and off like strobe lights. She threw the covers off of herself and jumped out of bed, opening the door to the hallway and seeing the whole house was lit up with flashing lights.

She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach as she ran down the hall to the guestroom, silently so glad that Emma was here, with her, and Henry was safe at the loft, with his grandparents.

She wasn't sure what to expect when she opened the door, but what she saw was Emma thrashing violently in the bed, screaming and crying but still asleep, from the look of it. It didn't take Regina long to recognize the night terror. Snow had gotten them frequently during the first year of Regina's marriage to the King, but they had tapered off and disappeared on their own. Regina had thought they only occurred in children.

Despite the objects in the room beginning to shake like there was a small earthquake situated in the middle of her house, Regina brushed off the fear for her own personal safety, and went to Emma's bed, grabbing her by the shoulders to shake her awake. It took a few minutes, but Regina finally managed to pull her out of it. Emma's eyes snapped open, and she looked around, panicked.

"Where am I?" she gasped, confused, as she squirmed out of Regina's grip on her shoulders, and pulled herself up to a sitting position. The tears were still flowing freely, but Emma seemed as oblivious to them as she was to the still flickering lights all around her.

"You're safe, Emma. You're at my house, remember?" Regina said, trying to keep her voice calm and soothing.

Emma nodded and took a deep breath, remembering all the events from before. As she began to calm down, the lights stopped flickering, and her crying slowed, though her breathing was still uneven and her heart was racing.

"Are you ok?" Regina's voice sounded far away.

Emma nodded, and avoided eye contact. She looked down at her hands again. They still looked normal. She hugged her arms tightly around herself, shaking. She looked over Regina's shoulder and stared at a black and white painting on the wall behind her, trying to focus on the abstract image and attempting to control her breathing to calm herself as she fought back the tears she could feel burning again, threatening to reveal her weakness.

"You were having a night terror," Regina said, reaching forward, tentatively, to push some stray hairs away from Emma's face. Emma didn't back away from the contact.

"I used to get those all the time when I was a kid," Emma said. Her bottom lip started to quiver, as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with one hand. She knew she couldn't fight it much longer. She closed her eyes and shook her head, because she knew if she tried to talk she would just cry again.

Without a word, Regina pulled Emma close and wrapped her arms around her. Emma let her head fall onto Regina's shoulder, and the moment she did, she started sobbing all over again. Regina rocked her gently, and stroked her hair, while reassuring her softly, "it's okay. I'm right here. You're okay."

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's lower back and squeezed tight – tighter than she probably needed to – as the tears became heavier. Suddenly, she was a scared four-year-old, in some foster home some place, crying alone in her bed after a night terror that no one came to rescue her from.

Only this time, she wasn't alone. She had never had someone soothe her nightmares before, and now she was holding on to Regina for dear life.

After a while, the crying stopped, and Emma just closed her eyes and reveled in Regina's warm embrace. In that moment, she felt so safe, and she wished she could stay there forever. Regina leaned her head lightly against Emma's, and continued to stroke her hair, and rock her in silence, for a while longer.

When she thought Emma was finally okay, Regina broke their embrace, pulling back and taking Emma's face in her hands, wiping away the last of the tears on her cheeks with her thumbs. They locked eye contact for a few moments before Regina finally spoke.

"You need to get some sleep," Regina said, as she guided Emma back down to a lying position and pulled the covers back up over her. Emma watched her intently as Regina laid down beside her, on top of the covers, and started stroking her hair again. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," she promised.

Emma nodded and closed her eyes, and before long, drifted back into a thankfully dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

When morning finally came, Regina woke up, realizing she was still lying atop the covers on the guest bed, next to Emma. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep, but here she was, fingers still entwined in Emma's long hair, looking into Emma's green eyes.

"Hey," she whispered, her voice still raspy from sleep.

"Hey," Emma whispered back.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A while," Emma half shrugged. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you up."

"So you just watched me sleep?"

Emma shrugged again, and smiled.

"How do you feel?" Regina asked, tentatively.

Emma sighed, as the smile fell from her lips. "You know when you first wake up in the morning, and you don't really remember anything, like at all? It's just like, bliss? I had that, but then I realized you were with me and I remembered everything that had happened yesterday and… I don't know, I thought if I just laid here, really quiet, I could get that calm feeling back."

"That doesn't answer my question, Emma."

"I don't know how I feel. Not any more evil than yesterday, if that's any consolation," Emma offered.

Regina sighed and rolled over, removing her hand from Emma's hair as she sat up and stretched a bit. She avoided the urge to tell Emma that she wouldn't turn evil, because she feared she was starting to sound like a broken record, reiterating that idea over and over.

"Hey," Emma said quietly, as she sat up beside Regina, drawing her knees up to her chest again. "Thanks for last night. I don't know… I haven't had a terror that bad since I was a kid."

"That bad? You still get them?"

"Not in a long, long time," Emma said, shaking her head. "Mostly just nightmares now. Not every night, but…"

Regina nodded. "You went through a lot, yesterday," she acknowledged. "A lot of mental and physical stress. I'm sure the night terror was just a manifestation of all of that."

Emma nodded, though she didn't necessarily agree. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was actually some sort of manifestation of this curse.

"You want breakfast?" Regina asked, pulling Emma back out of her head and back into the present.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Emma laughed, as she threw back the covers and got out of bed.

"What do you want?" Regina asked.

"Wait, you're gonna cook it?"

"I thought I might. Would that be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just… you don't have to take care of me, you know," Emma stammered, flushing a little. She already thought she was putting Regina out enough by staying in her home. She knew Regina felt like she owed her, but she didn't want her to think she had to do everything for her.

"That's not how I look at it. Generally, I eat breakfast at home, and cook for Henry. Today, I'll cook for you instead. Pancakes?"

Emma grinned and nodded. "Would it be against the rules of etiquette in your home to wear this to breakfast?" Emma asked, looking down at her flannel pants and tank top she'd been wearing since yesterday.

Regina smiled and shook her head. "I'm surprised you even know what 'etiquette' is, dear. Wear what you want, but I'm going to change. I'll meet you downstairs."

Emma went downstairs and waited for Regina. She stood in the foyer, in front of the mirror. This was the first time she'd actually looked at herself, since taking on the curse. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see that she looked the same, just exhausted from a terrible night's sleep. No shiny skin, no pointy rotten teeth. Just Emma Swan. Pale skin and dark circles under her eyes, but still Emma Swan.

"Hey." Emma jumped at the sound of Regina's voice behind her. She turned to see Regina heading toward the kitchen, and she followed her.

"I texted your mother to let her know you're alright," Regina said, as she began pulling out ingredients for apple pancakes. Emma nodded absently, and sat at the stool of the kitchen island, running her fingers over the smooth surface. "You are alright, you know," Regina added, when Emma didn't respond.

"Yeah, if you say so," Emma said, shaking her head. She was beginning to realize how she _actually_ felt this morning: numb. She wasn't afraid, she wasn't happy or sad, she just… was. "What do you think Gold was like, before the curse?"

Regina sighed as she stirred ingredients in a mixing bowl. "That was centuries before I was even born," Regina pointed out. "I only had the luxury of 28 years of frozen time, you know."

Emma smirked. She tried not to remember how old Regina really should be. "Yeah, I know. It's just something I've been thinking about."

"Well, stop. You're not him, and you never will be him. He was just a man, Emma. You're the Savior, and you already have strong light magic. You've got an advantage that he never had," Regina reiterated. "And you don't have to fight forever, you know. Only until we figure out how to take the curse out of you. You're strong Emma. You can do this."

Emma watched Regina as she spoke. Her comfortable detachment from emotion this morning made it easy to ignore the words and focus on the mouth that was speaking them. She drank in the sight of Regina's plump lips. How had she never really noticed them before?

When she thought about it, she _had_. She had had fantasies about kissing Regina before, right now, she was seeing something different. The lips were impossibly red, and looked impossibly soft, and Emma was practically salivating thinking about how they might taste. That was something she'd never done before.

She dropped her eyes to the bodice of Regina's charcoal dress. It wasn't overly tight, but tight enough that it extenuated Regina's curves in all the right ways. She watched as her breasts bounced slightly with the rapid motion of stirring the pancake batter. In spite of herself, Emma licked her lips.

For her part, Regina noted the sudden change in Emma's appearance. Her eyes had dropped, but not so much that Regina couldn't see how dark they were becoming as her pupils dilated. Emma's low-cut tank top did nothing to hide how flushed the skin on her chest was becoming.

"Emma? Are you alright?"

Emma's eyes snapped up. Regina's husky voice shot straight to her core, causing her sex to clench unexpectedly. _What the fuck?_ Emma thought to herself, shaking her head quickly, trying to push this sudden desire – this lust – out of her head. Where the hell was this coming from?

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma said, quickly, realizing that Regina had mistaken her head shake as Emma telling her that no, she was not alright. She was pretty sure at this point she was _anything_ but alright, but what was she supposed to tell Regina? _Hey, sorry, but all the sudden I just want to bend you over and fuck you right here on this counter top?_

She shook her head again and drew in a ragged breath, and Regina was all too aware that Emma was fighting another battle inside her head at this very moment. She wished the blonde would just _talk_ to her, even if she wasn't exactly sure what to say or do to help.

Regina turned around to start cooking the pancakes over the stove, leaving Emma with nothing but a perfect view of her perfect ass. Emma closed her eyes for a moment, trying to center herself, and ignore the throbbing heat now pounding between her legs. "Fuck," she breathed, and hoped Regina didn't hear it. If she did, she at least gave Emma the courtesy of not acknowledging it.

 _What the fuck is wrong with you, Swan?_

Emma had always found Regina to be attractive, but it wasn't like this. This was a heavy, carnal _need_ to take the woman right now. Dominate her. Devour her.

And it terrified her.

Without a word, Emma waved a hand, enveloping herself in a cloud of thick yellow smoke. Regina spun around, sensing the magic instantly, but all she saw was the smoke dissipating, and Emma was gone.

* * *

Emma materialized in a clearing in the woods. "Fuck! _Fuck_! What the fuck?" She couldn't stop herself from screaming the profanities. It was the only distraction from the almost painful arousal between her legs.

None of this made any sense and she guessed it had to be the curse. It was as though her attraction to the older woman had been amplified a million times in a split second. How was that even possible? Her mind was reeling with images of hundreds of things she'd like to _do_ to Regina.

She'd had fantasies like this before, but it was never like this. These were more than just simple fantasies. These were strong desires, and somewhere, deep down inside, there was a little voice. And the little voice was the most terrifying of all, as it told Emma over and over and over that she could just _do it_ , and Regina couldn't stop her.

* * *

Regina pulled the pancakes off the stovetop and shut off the heat the moment she realized Emma was gone. Before she had a second to even process it, there was a knock on the door. Regina rolled her eyes as she headed through the foyer to answer it. Whomever it was, she really didn't have time for this.

"Hi, Regina."

She _really_ didn't have time for Snow White.

"Snow," Regina said, curtly, as she stepped to the side to let the other woman enter.

"I came to see Emma," Snow said, with her worried smile plastered to her face. Regina sighed. There really was no use in lying to her.

"She's not here," Regina said, simply.

"What? I thought you were watching her? Where is she?" Snow asked, panicked.

"I'm not _watching_ her," Regina said, shaking her head. "I'm not her babysitter. And I don't know where she is. She poofed out of my kitchen without warning not even five minutes ago. I can't imagine she'll go far, however. She has no phone and no car keys and she's in pajamas." It occurred to Regina after she spoke that none of those things really mattered, since Emma had infinite magic anyway. She really could be _anywhere._

For her part, Snow seemed to be well aware of that fact, as well. "Use the dagger," she insisted. "Summon her back."

"No."

"Regina! You have to."

"No," Regina repeated. "I told her I wouldn't use it against her and I won't."

"Summoning her to help her isn't the same as using it against her," Snow reasoned.

Regina shook her head. "The very fact that you believe that just proves that I am the right person to protect the dagger. Forcing her to be someplace she doesn't want to be _is_ the very definition of using it against her. It's bad enough that she's cursed. We can't take away her free will as well."

"So, then, how are we supposed to find her?"

Regina sighed. "We don't. We continue looking for the solution, the way to break this curse, and Emma will come to us when she's ready. She's going through a lot and she needs time to work it out." Even as Regina said the words, she wasn't entirely sure if she believed them herself. It was highly possible that time alone was the exact opposite of what Emma needed right now.

She just had to trust that Emma poofed away because _she_ wanted to, not because the curse compelled her to. She took some solace, at least, in knowing that the dagger was still protected under her magic. She could sense it, and she knew no one had gotten to it and used it to summon Emma, not that anyone could, even if they wanted to. The dagger was shielded by blood magic, and her only blood relative was locked away in the hospital's basement with her magic blocked.

Emma was safe. Regina was sure.

* * *

Emma wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she finally got herself to a state of calm out in the woods - after punching the bark off an old oak tree. Her knuckles were swollen and bleeding and sore, but she opted not to heal them, for the moment. The pain in her hands was enough to distract her from everything else.

Even with her numb emotional state, the pain in her hands reminded her that she was human. It was real and raw and it sobered her and calmed her. She sat down on a fallen log and practiced deep breathing and counting to ten, to calm herself the rest of the way. The painful arousal had subsided and she felt at peace.

She started to wonder if this is what the curse was all about: herself, magnified. A slight annoyance at the Blue Fairy had led to an unprovoked attack on the woman, just because Emma _wanted_ to. A tiny crush on Regina was amplified until it was an unbearable carnal need.

This whirlwind in her brain was nothing like how she pictured Gold's brain working. He was so calm and so calculated all the time, but then, she thought, he had centuries to adapt. She'd had a day. Maybe this is how it was in the beginning for him as well; drunk on power, taking whatever he wanted with no second thoughts. But Emma had second thoughts, at least.

She stood up when she thought she was strong enough to face Regina again. She still wasn't sure if she would tell her _exactly_ why she poofed away, but she couldn't very well just stay away all day, letting Regina panic. After everything she'd done for Emma so far, that wasn't fair.

She took one more calming breath and poofed herself back into Regina's kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Emma looked around the kitchen as the yellow smoke dissipated. Regina was gone, though she could hear her voice from the other room. She listened, and it only took a moment for Emma to realize that it was her mother Regina was talking to.

"Fucking wonderful," Emma murmured, rolling her eyes.

She glanced over at the stove and saw the pan of half-cooked pancakes there, and pouted a little. She'd really wanted those pancakes, and she felt bad that Regina had wasted her time and food making them just for her to poof away without warning. She picked up the pan and scraped the remnants into the trash, figuring a little cleaning was the least she could do.

She looked at her torn up knuckles as she worked. The blood was dry now but her hands were still a little swollen and hurt like a bitch, but she kind of liked it still.

Emma was about to head into the other room to face her mother and Regina, when she suddenly became very aware of how hungry she was. She was never one to skip breakfast, but right now, she was _starving_. It reminded her of times when she was young and there just wasn't enough food for all the kids in the house. She hadn't felt _this_ hungry in a very long time.

She supposed a little breakfast before facing Regina couldn't hurt. She wasn't sure if her body and mind would betray her again, so she decided she should at least eat something first. She pulled open Regina's fridge and smirked at all the perfectly labelled Tupperware containers of left-overs and other food. Her eyes immediately landed on lasagna.

She shrugged and decided lasagna for breakfast was acceptable, as there was much worse she could be doing at the moment. She opened the container and used her magic to heat it instantly, before grabbing a fork and digging in. She ate it so fast she barely registered the taste, and when it was gone, she was _still_ starving.

She wondered if this was another moment of herself, magnified and she dug through the fridge for something else. She found some sort of macaroni salad that smelled delicious, and returned to her spot at the kitchen island, tossing the empty lasagna container into the sink with a small thudding sound before digging into the salad.

"Emma?"

Emma looked up to see her mother and Regina standing in the kitchen now. She guessed they must have heard the sound from the tossed Tupperware container.

"Hey," Emma mumbled, through a mouthful of macaroni salad.

Regina glanced at the sink and then back at Emma. "Did you already eat the lasagna?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm so hungry," she said, taking another bite of the salad.

"Well, I was going to make you pancakes," Regina reminded her.

"Yeah… sorry," Emma said, dropping her eyes immediately. "I just needed some air."

"Emma, what's going on? What happened?" Snow asked, not able to keep silent anymore.

"What's going on?" Emma repeated, feeling the annoyance rising inside her. Apparently that was an emotion she could still feel. "I'm cursed. What the fuck do you _think_ is going on?"

"Emma!" Snow gasped. She knew her daughter could use some colourful language, but she had never said _that_ word directly to her.

"Emma, what happened to your hands?" Regina cut in, just noticing her mangled knuckles. She reached out to take Emma's hand but Emma pulled back out of her reach.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Emma said, refusing to look at her. She could feel that same attraction from earlier this morning building up again, and she wasn't sure she could take Regina's physical touch at the moment.

"Let me heal them for you," Regina offered.

"No!" Emma cried, grabbing at her knuckles and squeezing one of the deeper abrasions. The searing pain grounded her and helped her focus. "I need it."

Regina was about to object until she saw the look of pure desperation on Emma's face. She wasn't entirely sure what Emma had meant, but she was quite sure that whatever it was, Emma really did need those wounds for something.

"Okay," Regina said, simply, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. "Your mother was just telling me that the fairies have some more information on Merlin, and she was going to meet with them now. Do you want to go?"

Emma bit her lip and shook her head. She wasn't ready to see Blue again just yet.

Regina followed Snow back out into the foyer, leaving Emma alone in the kitchen again. She put her fork back in the macaroni salad bowl, only to realize that was now empty as well. She tossed the bowl into the sink and went back to the fridge.

"Seriously, Miss Swan?"

Emma jumped at Regina's voice, and spun around looking a little guilty. "I'll give you some food money," she offered with a shrug.

Regina smirked and shook her head. "And I thought living with a teenage boy was bad. Now I see where Henry gets it from."

Emma shut the fridge and sat back down at her stool at the kitchen island, idly scratching her fingernails over the cuts on her knuckles. "I literally can't help it. It's like I feel like I can't get enough… I need to devour, like, everything."

Regina narrowed her eyes on Emma as she took the seat next to her. "Want to tell me what the hell happened this morning."

Emma shrugged. "Not really."

"I think you should," Regina pressed.

"I don't think you'd want to know, to be honest," Emma admitted. She could feel her heart rate picking up again. Regina was way too close. She slid her stool back a couple inches, hoping Regina wouldn't pick up on it.

But, of course, she did. She always picked up on everything.

"Emma, please, whatever it is, just tell me so I can't help you," Regina insisted.

Emma smirked. "You're not gonna want to give me the help I need right now. Trust me."

"Emma," Regina said again, putting her hand on top of Emma's. The touch shot through Emma like wildfire, igniting every nerve in her body. Emma's breath hitched in her throat and she felt all that heat surge straight to her core and she knew she was in trouble.

"Emma?"

"Iwanttofuckyou," Emma blurted out, so quickly it even took her own mind a moment to process what she had just said. She watched Regina's eyes widen in shock, and she knew that was likely the last thing she ever expected to hear from Emma's lips.

"Wh-what?" Regina stammered. It was rare that Emma ever saw Regina at a loss for what to say. She couldn't think of a single incident off the top of her head and she knew that she was screwed now.

"Regina, I don't… I can't explain what's happening to me. It's like every normal urge a person would have is amplified by a million and it's overwhelming. It's like… I want to punch my mom and I want to fuck you and I want to eat everything I see and the third option seems the safest, you know?"

Emma's eyes pleaded with Regina, hoping that there was some possibility that she _did_ know.

Regina drew in a deep breath, trying to process everything that Emma had just confessed. "Well, I suppose I should be honoured that at least I'm not the one you want to punch."

In spite of everything, Emma laughed. She wasn't sure exactly what reaction she had expected, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn't that.

"I had to get out of here this morning because I was this close to grabbing you and pushing you up against a wall and just…" Emma let her voice trail off, as she was pretty sure that Regina already knew what she _just_ wanted to do. She held up her hand, showing off the wounds. "This helps. The pain… helps me focus, in a fucked up kind of way. It's a good distraction."

"Okay," Regina acknowledged, and Emma had to wonder if she was accepting her mode of coping, or accepting the thing she needed to cope with.

"So… sorry if I just made everything hella weird between us. If you want me to go, I'll go," Emma said, tentatively, waiting for the rejection that she knew was coming. She knew there was no way that Regina would be okay with this, and her head was already formulating a dozen back-up plans for when the inevitable happened. She'd been kicked out of so many homes, what was one more anyway? And it wasn't like this was really her home, so why should she care at all?

"No. I want you to stay." Emma's eyes snapped up, in confusion. _That_ , she really wasn't expecting. "I know you're fighting a difficult battle, Emma, and I told you, you don't have to face it alone."

"Would you still be cool with it if I told you I'm probably going to be thinking about what you might look like naked… like all the time?" Emma asked, wanting to make sure Regina knew just how serious this was.

Regina smirked. "Well, I'm sure you wouldn't be the first."

Emma sighed. "They're wasting their time with the fairies. Blue said once the curse took over, it would be too late. It's taking over, Regina, I can't feel it. I can feel myself slipping away."

"Then you need to fight harder, Emma. You're a survivor and you're a fighter and this is just another battle. You can win this," Regina stated, before glancing down at Emma's battered knuckles again. "Will you at least let me clean those? You're going to get an infection."

"Fine," Emma sighed, laying her hands out flat on the countertop, palms down and fingers splayed. She could see bits of wood splinters lodged in the wounds, and she guessed Regina was right. At least the alcohol would sting.

Regina waved her hand to conjure up a selection of first aid products on the table top. Emma licked her lips unconsciously, tasting the magic in the air around her. As redeemed as Regina was now, Emma could sense the darkness that still lingered in her magic, and it seemed to call to her. Emma could feel her heartrate quicken and her breath getting shallow.

"Emma, are you alright?" Regina asked, as she took stock of Emma's suddenly agitated state.

Emma nodded slowly, closing her eyes and willing herself to calm down. "It's… your magic," she whispered. "It's got some sort of effect on me."

"Okay," Regina said, as she grabbed a cloth and got up to wet it at the sink. "Then I won't use it around you anymore."

"Thank you," Emma breathed, as Regina began wiping the dry blood away with the cloth.

"You really did a number on your hands," she commented, as she picked up Emma's right hand in her left hand, and worked at getting the wood splinters out.

"Yeah, well you should see the other guy," Emma laughed. "Or, you know, the tree."

Regina raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as she reached for the alcohol. "This is probably going to sting."

"God, I hope so," Emma sighed, before she realized what she was saying. And it did sting. She hissed and then relaxed into the feeling. Again, the physical pain was enough to pull her out of her head and back into reality, and it was exactly what she needed. It made her feel human, once again.

Regina watched Emma's face as she cleaned out her wounds. The younger woman had her eyes closed, and she looked to be almost in bliss as Regina worked. Regina started to wonder if she was spending too much time with the ever-hopeful Charmings. She had been so busy trying to convince Emma that everything was fine, that she had been oblivious to how bad it had already gotten.

She realized that Emma knew better than any of them what was going on inside of her own head, and no amount of good vibes or reassurances were going to stop this curse from taking over.

"Emma," Regina sighed, as she began wrapping her knuckles with gauze, "if this all gets to be too much for you, tell me, alright? And we'll get out of Storybrooke."

Emma opened her eyes, meeting Regina's gaze. "You'd leave with me?"

"Well, I'm not about to let you go alone," Regina said, replacing Emma's right hand on the island, and picking up the left to get to work on cleaning that one out.

"What about everyone else?" Emma asked, quietly. "My parents and Henry?"

"Henry would come with us," Regina said, thinking her plan through as she went. "Your parents would have to stay here and run the town until we could come back. And they'd have to keep working on coming up with a solution. I'm not saying this has to happen, Emma, but please just remember that it's an option."

Emma nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Please, stop thanking me, Emma," Regina sighed. "If you want to show your appreciation, do it through your honesty, alright? I know that opening up and talking about feelings isn't your favourite pastime, but I need to know what's going on with you, alright?"

"Okay," Emma agreed. "But talking about feelings isn't going to be an issue."

"What do you mean?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm not so sure I have emotions anymore," she said, flatly. "Yesterday I was scared and today I'm… nothing. Completely indifferent. All I feel is hungry. And a little horny. But mostly hungry at the moment."

Regina smirked and shook her head. "You know where the fridge is," she shrugged, as she finished wrapping Emma's other hand.

"Ugh," Emma groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I don't want to have to figure out how to magically stretch out my jeans. Maybe I should just go out for a run. It might help me burn of some of this nervous energy. Wanna come?"

"Running?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not really my thing."

"Suit yourself," Emma shrugged, waving her hand to magically change herself into tight black jogging pants and a light blue tank top. She pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and winked at Regina before heading to the door.

Regina watched her go, dumbfounded. She sighed as she started cleaning up the first aid products, and replayed her previous conversation with Emma over in her mind. It occurred to her that Emma hadn't even been cursed twenty-four hours and she was already devising an escape plan.

But what else was she supposed to do?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Emma felt the cool, misty breeze slap her face as she ran along the shoreline at the beach. It was a welcome change from the dull pain in her knuckles or the persistent burn of her arousal between her thighs, but it did little to distract her from the apparently insatiable hunger in her belly. It occurred to her as she ran that perhaps it wasn't even food she hungered for, or even Regina that she lusted for. Perhaps, it was really just the darkness she was truly craving.

But she wasn't going to let it win.

As her feet pounded hard into the damp sand below her, she replayed her conversation with Regina over in her head. The mayor had been remarkably unfazed by Emma's admission earlier, and Emma had to wonder if it was because Regina had had similar experiences - and desires - when she was going dark. Or, perhaps, it was something else entirely.

Emma stopped dead in her tracks. If it was something else, then what the hell was it? Regina couldn't be having similar feelings… could she?

Emma sighed, trying to convince herself it was just the curse messing with her head again. Regina didn't want her - not like that - she was just helping her because she felt guilty.

Besides, she was spoken for anyway.

 _Robin Hood_. His name left a bitter taste in Emma's mouth, and she hadn't even said it out loud.

Emma was suddenly, _painfully_ , aware of another emotion she could very much still feel: jealousy.

"Ugh, seriously, Emma, get it together," she mumbled to herself as she rubbed her hands over the front of her thighs. Her quads were burning from the run, but it wasn't enough to distract her from this new train of thought.

But she was jealous of Robin. The man had come from nowhere and put a claim on Regina and why? Because of some pixie dust? Emma had never been able to bring herself to tell Regina just how ridiculous that was, because who was she to stand in the way of Regina's happy ending?

Still, she'd never been able to shake the feeling that Regina was too good for Robin. She laughed at the thought that the former Evil Queen was too good for a common thief, but then she thought, maybe that was _exactly_ why she was too good for him: Regina was a Queen and Robin was a thief and maybe Emma had just been an orphan her whole life, but she was the Savior and a princess, after all.

So why did Regina pick Robin?

Emma supposed she had never made her intentions clear, and being with Hook probably wasn't helping, but she couldn't be alone in this feeling, could she?

Her head was spinning. She couldn't keep control of her thoughts as continued to assault her mind. But they kept coming back to that thief and Emma knew she had to do something to make it _stop_.

And she was well-aware that there was only one thing she could do to stop this feeling. And she also knew she had to do it _now_.

* * *

Regina sat at her kitchen island, sipping absently at her mug of coffee, not really tasting it, but needing the energy. She had missed three calls from Robin, but she just wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now; she was far too distracted by thoughts of Emma.

The whole time Emma had been gone, Regina had been doing all the research she could on the curse of the Dark One, until she had come across an old book that contained a handwritten note on a piece of parchment that Regina _knew_ had to have come from the Enchanted Forest.

And in Elvish, it read:

 _My darkest desires boil just below the surface now. It is not a man and a curse any longer._

 _The man is the curse; the curse is the man._

 _Perhaps it's not a curse at all. Perhaps it is just the man, amplified._

Regina read the words over and over. The page was torn, and she could see stroke marks of ink, and she knew there was more that had been written, but as she tore through the rest of the book, she came up empty handed for the rest of the paper.

Whether it was Rumple who wrote this, or some other Dark One along the way, really didn't matter at this point. Regina was more interested to know if this assessment was accurate. Was Emma now just Emma amplified?

If Regina could take her insatiable appetite as any sort of clue, she'd had to guess yes. But then what about the blonde's new found uncontrollable attraction to her? Was it perhaps not new at all? Maybe her ability to control it was all that had changed.

Regina wished Emma would return from her run so they could talk about this. She didn't have a phone to take with her, and she had been gone a lot longer than Regina had expected her to be.

Her phone rang again, and this time it was Snow. Regina sighed. She knew the woman was worried about her daughter, but Regina wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, especially when she didn't have any more answers to give now, than she did before.

"Snow?" Regina said into the phone, making not attempt to hide the exasperation in her voice.

"Regina!" Snow sounded alarmed - panicked, even - and Regina could hear a lot of noise in the background. "You need to get down to the Rabbit Hole. Now."

Regina didn't waste time saying anything else, as she flicked her wrist and poofed herself to the Rabbit Hole, appearing directly in front of Snow.

"Snow, was is it?" Regina asked, immediately noticing there was quite a commotion going on.

Snow just pointed over Regina's shoulder, and Regina turned to see Robin Hood suspended in air, nearly at the ceiling of the bar. It didn't take long to locate the source of the magic.

"Leroy called us to get down here," Snow explained. "He said Emma came in and immediately started a fight with Robin. She had already gotten in a few good punches by the time David and I got here, and before we could stop her, she started with the magic. Regina, you've got to use the dagger."

"No," Regina said, before making her way across the bar. She pushed past David until she was face to face with Emma, looking into cold, dark, green eyes that she barely recognized.

"Emma? What are you doing?" Regina asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn't want to resort to the dagger. She'd talked Emma back from a ledge before, she was certain she could do it again.

"He's not good enough for you," Emma said, simply, with a disapproving glance up at Robin, as her lip curled into a sneer.

"Emma, you don't have to do this," Regina continued, holding her hands up, as if she could surrender on Robin's behalf.

"Yes, I do," Emma said. Her voice revealed no emotion, and Regina realized there was a good chance Emma might kill Robin, right then and there.

"Emma, if you kill him, there's no coming back from that," Regina said, her voice firmer this time. "It will start you down a dangerous path."

Emma smirked. "Haven't I heard this somewhere before? _Oh right_ , with Lily. I should have killed that bitch, too."

Regina heard Robin groan in the air above her as Emma squeezed her out stretched hand.

"Emma! Stop!" Regina cried, losing hold of the control she had been desperately trying to keep.

Emma let out a sharp laugh, her lips curling from a smirk, to a devilish grin. "Make me."

"Is that what you want? You want to force my hand and make me use the dagger on you, Emma? I made you a promise," Regina reminded her.

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "You'd let your _true love_ die over a promise to the Dark One?"

"I'm not going to let you kill him, Emma. Don't make me break my promise to you."

"Like you'd care anyway," Emma scoffed.

"I do care, Emma!"

"You don't! If you did you wouldn't have picked him over me in the first place!"

"Emma, what are you talking about?" Regina cried, grabbing Emma's shoulders in an attempt to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. Right before her eyes, she watched Emma's eyes turn from sinister to terrified in a single second, before turning upwards and looking at Robin in shock, as if she had only just now realized what was happening.

In a split-second reaction, Regina caught Robin with her magic as Emma suddenly let go, and let him down to the floor safely, before turning back to Emma.

"Regina, I'm sorry!" Emma gasped out, between hyperventilating breaths. "I don't - I don't know - "

"Come on," Regina said, putting her arm around Emma's shoulders and leading her out the backdoor of the bar. David moved to follow, but Regina put her hand up, motioning for him to deal with Robin and the rest of the onlookers at the bar.

"You should go check on Robin," Emma insisted, her voice quivering as her shoulders shook. It wasn't cold, and Regina immediately recognized the onslaught of powerful dark magic surging through Emma's system, that she was trying to deal with right now.

"He's fine. It's you I'm worried about. What the hell just happened?"

Emma shook her head and swallowed hard before explaining. "I'm not - I don't know. I was running, and then suddenly I was thinking about you, and then I was thinking about him, and something… something just kind of snapped. I just suddenly had this… this _urge_ to hurt him. I couldn't stop. Regina, I'm so sorry."

Regina nodded, knowing all too well from experience the feeling that Emma had just described. "I know you are," Regina said, softly.

But the truth was, Emma wasn't so sure she really was sorry. Her little attack on Robin had made her feel better in the moment, but now, out in this alley, alone with Regina, the tumultuous thoughts and strange feelings were overtaking her again, urging her to act.

Without a second thought, she all but lunged at Regina, crashing her lips against Regina's with bruising force and unrestrained need. Before Regina could react, Emma pushed her hard up against the brick wall, pinning her wrists beside her head in one fluid motion.

And it was all over in a moment. Emma realized was she was doing and jumped back like Regina had suddenly become white hot metal, searing her flesh.

"Regina, I-" Emma choked out, her eyes wide as she waited in apprehension for how Regina was going to react. She half expected her to slap her across the face, or turn and run.

But, for her part, Regina just blinked at Emma, mouth slightly open, but unable to find any words.

Emma's whole body was shaking now, from the power of the curse, and she was painfully aware that it was choking out the last bits of her free will. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to fight it off, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she did something that she truly regretted.

"Emma," Regina said, trying to force herself back into the present, though she had no other words to offer the other woman.

Emma sniffed, holding back tears as suddenly, her lost emotions started to flow back into her, as though kissing Regina had opened the floodgates. Fear, doubt, worry, regret: they all attacked her mind at once and she wasn't sure if she would cry, pass out or puke.

But she didn't do any of those things. She simply took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I need you to take me away from here."

Regina nodded. "I know."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Emma kept her head down as Regina led her back through the bar. The crowd had mostly dissipated, and Robin was standing with the Charmings near the front entrance when Regina and Emma walked up.

"Are you alright?" Emma asked, meekly, as she glanced up at Robin.

"Well, I'm not injured badly," Robin scoffed.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, and Regina put her arm around the blonde's shoulders again, earning her a quizzical look from Robin, which she chose to ignore for the moment.

"We need to talk," Regina said, looking pointedly at Snow and David. "Meet us at my house in an hour."

Snow simply nodded, finally seeming to understand the true gravity of this situation.

"Regina, you and I need to talk," Robin cut in.

Regina shook her head. "Later. I have too much to deal with right now."

"You think I don't have a lot to deal with? I have a son to raise, and another child on the way with your psycho sister, and now on top of that I've got the Sheriff of Storybrooke trying to kill me, and my _girlfriend_ is taking her side," Robin expounded.

"Emma's not trying to kill you. She's cursed," Regina shot back. "It's not her fault. So, now would be the time for you to get out of the bar and worry about your son. You have months to wait before the baby is even here, Zelena's locked up, and Emma's not going to hurt you."

Regina indicated that the conversation was over by leading Emma passed the trio, and out the front door of the bar.

"I don't want to cause strain on your relationship, Regina," Emma insisted, once they were out of Robin's earshot. "Maybe you should talk to him first."

"No," Regina shook her head. "Our issues will still be here when this is all over, they can wait."

Emma couldn't help but think that Regina seemed much less invested in her relationship with Robin. She had been becoming increasingly more distant ever since Robin had returned from New York, even as he became more and more clingy.

And maybe they could talk about that, outside of Storybrooke, when Emma was sure she was herself again.

* * *

Emma sat wrapped in a blanket on Regina's couch, sipping at her mug of hot cocoa, while Regina paced. Emma marveled at how they always seemed to counterbalance each other, and now that she was calm, Regina was a ball of nervous energy.

Emma wasn't sure where the newfound calm had come from, but she welcomed it eagerly. She guessed it was a result of the sheer amount of energy she'd expelled already today, and her body needed rest to recoup.

"Can you please sit down?" Emma asked, finally. "You're making me nervous."

Regina nodded, and finally took the seat next to Emma on the couch. "Okay, we need to figure out a new plan, because staying in Storybrooke doesn't appear to be an option."

"I have an apartment in Boston," Emma suggested. "I sublet it when I decided to stay here, and the tenant finally moved last month. It's just sitting empty until I decide what to do with it."

"You want to go to Boston?" Regina asked, looking at Emma seriously, trying to gauge where her head was at, at the moment.

"I don't really see another option," Emma admitted. "I mean, this curse is taking over fast. I feel calm right now, but how long is that going to last? What if I wake up tomorrow and every shred of myself is completely lost? You're not always going to be there to talk me off the cliff."

"I know. Okay. Boston, then, until we figure out how to stop this. You, me and Henry," Regina nodded.

"Not Henry," Emma said, quietly.

"What?"

"I don't want Henry to come. We don't know for sure that the curse will be completely dormant in Boston. You said yourself, my magic has manifested in a world without magic. I don't… I don't want him to see me like this."

Regina nodded. "Okay." She didn't really want to leave her son behind, but she knew exactly what it felt like as a mother for her son to look at her like she was a monster. She didn't want Emma to go through the same thing. "But, we need to be careful, there. We're going into a world where you're not the Sheriff and you're not above the law."

"I'm not above the law," Emma grumbled.

"Really? Tell me then, why were you not arrested for assault just now?"

"Point taken," Emma nodded. "The whole Dark One Curse excuse isn't going to fly in Boston. Got it."

"Right. So we'll talk to your parents, they can take Henry, and we'll leave tonight," Regina said.

"Um, so… are we going to talk about what happened? Like, with Robin? Or outside behind the bar?" Emma asked, tentatively.

"Yes, but not right now. We can talk when I get you out of Storybrooke," Regina replied. Emma studied her face, but she couldn't read the emotions there. She found it odd, considering that she usually could read Regina like an open book. She wondered if perhaps she had actually gone way too far, and Regina was only doing this to ensure the safety of the town.

Her thoughts were cut short by a knock on the door.

"I said an hour," Regina grumbled, as she got up. Sure enough, she was right: Snow and David stood impatiently on her doorstep.

"We couldn't wait any longer," Snow explained, before Regina could even get a word in, "I needed to know if Emma's alright."

"She's fine," Regina replied, stepping back so the Charmings could enter, "but she and I need to talk to you about something important."

The Charmings followed Regina back into the living room, where Emma had pulled the blanket even tighter around herself, as though it could protect her from anything, at all. Even she thought it was silly, because the biggest threat to herself currently lived _inside_ herself, the blanket offered a minute bit of comfort anyway, and she was going to take whatever she could get.

"I need to leave Storybrooke," Emma said, as soon as her parents had sat down. She knew this conversation wasn't going to be easy, and she wanted to get it underway as quickly as possible.

"Okay," Snow nodded, "we can do that."

Emma shook her head. "No. You need to stay here. You need to take Henry and take over as Mayor again, for the time being. David needs to be here to run the Sheriff's station, still."

David's eyes shot to Regina. " _You're_ going with her?"

Regina nodded. "It makes the most sense."

Snow gaped at her daughter for a moment. "I don't _want_ you to go."

Regina rolled her eyes when Emma didn't say anything. "It's not like it's forever. It's temporary, and it's in everyone's best interest, especially Emma's. We're going to go to Boston."

"When?" David asked.

"Tonight," said Emma.

"Okay. And you're not taking Henry? You're leaving him with us?" Snow asked, to confirm. Emma simply nodded, looking down.

Regina shifted uncomfortably, and Emma could tell that she wasn't keen on the idea of leaving Henry behind, but Emma knew it was for the best. She could never forgive herself if Henry saw any of the behaviour she'd been displaying, even if it was a direct result of the curse.

"What about Hook?" Snow asked.

"What about him?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Were you planning on telling him?"

Emma thought for a moment. The idea of telling Hook never crossed her mind. In fact, he, himself, had barely crossed her mind, which was often the case when he wasn't around. He'd been avoiding her ever since the docks. "Maybe you can tell him," Emma suggested. After the incident with Robin earlier, she didn't trust herself around Hook, and even though she was fairly sure he wasn't her true love, she didn't want to hurt the guy, physically. Not like she'd wanted to hurt Robin.

But she was more than aware at this point, that the curse could make her do things she never thought possible. It wasn't worth the risk.

"Okay, yes, we'll tell him," David said, as he took in the utterly perplexed look on his daughter's face. He could see there was an internal war waging there.

It wasn't long before Henry was home, and the Charmings stayed while Emma and Regina broke the news of their trip to him. He took it surprisingly well, but Regina guessed she really shouldn't be surprised at all. Henry loved spending time with his 'hero' grandparents.

It didn't take long to get everything packed up, and once they had the scroll safely tucked in the glove box to allow them to re-enter Storybrooke when the time came, and tearful goodbyes had been exchanged, Regina got in and started the Mercedes. She plugged the address of Emma's apartment into the GPS, and they were off.

Emma stared straight ahead, chewing on her lip as they approached the town line.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked, glancing over and noticing the intensity in the younger woman's face.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I just wanna get out of here."

Regina nodded and looked back at the road as they coasted over the thick orange line.

Emma breathed an audible sigh of relief and closed her eyes as they crossed the line. It felt like she could suddenly breathe again after being submerged underwater for far too long. She relaxed back against the leather seat and breathed a barely-audible "thank you," as Regina continued to drive.

* * *

Emma slept most of the four hour trek to Boston, her eyes just blinking open as Regina pulled down the street that Emma's former apartment was one.

"This is where Henry found you?" Regina asked, as they pulled into the underground parking. She had never been to Boston, and she hadn't realized what a busy city her boy had run away to at the tender age of ten.

"Yup," Emma nodded, smiling to herself at the familiar underground lot. It had been years, but it still looked and smelled the same. She never really considered this place _home_ , but she felt safe here at least. And she hoped it would feel safe, again, now.

"205," Emma said, pointing out a designated parking spot, "that's my spot." Regina nodded and pulled in.

Neither of them said a word as they pulled their bags from the trunk. Regina badly wanted to ask Emma if she felt any different, but she didn't think the parking garage was necessarily the right time or place, so she just followed Emma in through the garage entrance.

The building was much nicer than Regina had been expecting. She didn't know much about Emma's life after giving Henry up, other than that she had been a bail bondsperson, but from the look of the building she had lived in, it wasn't cheap. She figured Emma must have done well for herself.

They took the elevator up to Emma's floor, and Emma let out a heavy sigh as she led Regina down the hallway she never thought she'd see again.

"I was going to get rid of this place," she commented. "At first, I just sublet, because, you know, I didn't know what was going to happen. I know you think I just always run away, but this was the first place I felt… safe. I wanted to hold on to that."

Regina nodded. "But that changed?"

Emma shrugged. "I suppose… I suppose I didn't think I needed a safe place, when I found my home," she said, as they reached the door and she unlocked it.

"This is temporary, Emma," Regina reminded her, as they stepped inside.

"Yeah," Emma sighed, sounding utterly unconvinced.

Regina looked around the apartment. It was bigger than she would have expected, and clean. "Is this all your stuff?" she asked, motioning at the furniture.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, "I left it here for my tenant. Looks like they maintained everything well. I was kinda worried."

Emma dropped her bags on the ground and walked across the room to look out the floor to ceiling windows.

"That's terrifying," Regina commented, as she peeked out at how high up they were.

Emma laughed. "The glass is strong, it won't break even if you fall into it. I actually have."

Regina shuddered. "I plan on staying far away from those windows."

Emma turned and raised an eyebrow. "Afraid of heights?"

"I just don't trust glass to protect my life in a land without magic," Regina explained.

"Fair enough," Emma nodded, before stepping away from the window. "So there's only one bedroom, but the couch pulls out into a bed. You can have the real bed."

"You don't have to give up your bed for me," Regina insisted, even though she wasn't too keen on the idea of the sofa bed.

Emma shrugged. "I've slept worse places than a sofa bed, trust me. And I know you're really putting yourself out by doing all this for me. It's the least I can do."

Regina sighed. "You don't owe-"

"You anything?" Emma finished. "Yeah, I know, but please, just accept this, okay?"

"Okay," Regina agreed. "So… how do you feel, now?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to take an inventory of how she did feel. "I feel… sad, and anxious, and scared… but considering this morning I couldn't really feel anything, I guess that's a good thing? I feel more like myself, at least."

Regina nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah. I'm kind of tired though. Maybe we should call it a night?" Emma suggested. "The bedroom's right there," she pointed to the closed door, "and bathroom around this corner. Tomorrow I guess we'll have to get some groceries and stuff, but I'm exhausted."

Regina smirked. "You slept the whole car ride here," she reminded her.

"Yeah, well, being cursed is more tiring than you might realize."

Regina nodded. "Good night, Emma. If you need me, come get me, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, thanks."

Emma watched as Regina carried her bags into the bedroom, and shut the door, before getting to work on pulling out the sofa bed and making it up with sheets from the linen closet. It took her a long time to finally fall asleep that night, as the reality of this situation finally started to really hit her.

What if she could never return to Storybrooke?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

 _Emma was on the main street in Storybrooke, and the town was empty. She couldn't tell what time it was. There was no sun in the sky, but it was still light, though everything was black and white. She started to walk, having no idea where she was headed._

 _She soon found herself standing at Regina's front door. There were lights on inside, and the sound of voices. Emma wasn't sure what she was doing there, but she was sure she needed to get inside._

 _She found the knocker on the door and banged hard. Footsteps approached the door, and Regina opened it with a smile, that quickly faded. Everything inside Regina's house was in colour, but outside was still black and white. Emma wanted to be inside with Regina so badly._

" _Hello, can I help you?"_

" _Can I come in?"_

 _Regina stepped to block Emma as she attempted to step in the house. She cocked her head to the side, in confusion._

" _I'm sorry, who are you?"_

" _Regina, it's me! It's Emma."_

" _Sorry, dear, but I don't know an 'Emma'."_

" _Henry!" Emma called out, as she saw him over Regina's shoulder, walking through the foyer._

 _Henry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Mom, who is that?"_

" _Henry, it's me," Emma tried to call out, as Regina turned from her, closing the door._

" _Nobody, Henry, just a drifter," Emma heard Regina say, just before the door clicked shut._

" _No! No! It's me," she cried out, banging on the door, but no one came._

Emma woke with a start, disoriented, as her panicked eyes darted around the room. She was on her pull-out couch, in her Boston apartment, covered in an off-white afghan blanket. She tried to calm herself, but tears were flowing uncontrollably. She couldn't regulate her breathing.

She pushed the blanket off of herself, and sat up, trying to orient herself to her surroundings. Her eyes shot immediately to her old bedroom door, and she remembered that Regina was here, and she wasn't alone.

The door was cracked slightly, and Emma debated whether or not she should peek in just to be absolutely _sure_ that Regina really was there. She told herself she was being ridiculous, and of course Regina was there, but a nagging feeling inside her told her she should check, anyway.

She got up and tiptoed across the room, pushing the door open silently.

Well, almost silently.

She had forgotten that the door creaked at the halfway point, and by the time she remembered, it was too late. Regina shot up in her bed, and blinked a few times at Emma's silhouette in the doorway.

"Emma?" Regina asked, her voice still husky from sleep.

"Sorry," Emma mumbled, "I was just…" Her voice trailed off, but she made no attempt to leave the doorway as she continued to stare at Regina.

"You were just? Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asked, the concern evident in her voice.

Emma's first instinct was to lie, and say everything was fine, but considering that Regina had just dropped everything in her life to travel to Boston with her, she supposed she owed her the truth, at the very least.

"I had a dream," Emma said, as she took another step into the room.

"A nightmare?" Regina asked, holding out her hand and motioning for Emma to come closer. It was all the invitation that Emma needed, as she quickly closed the distance between the doorway and her old bed, and climbed in next to Regina.

"I dreamt I came to your house, and I knocked on the door, and you didn't know who I was. You couldn't remember me. And Henry was there, and he didn't know me either. You shut the door and I was outside yelling and knocking but you wouldn't come back. When I woke up, I was crying, because I was so scared because I thought I was alone again, like I didn't have Henry, or you, anymore."

With the revelation, the tears started again, and almost as if it were instinct, Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and pulled her closed, rocking her just as she had in Storybrooke the night before.

"It's okay now," Regina whispered, as she stroked Emma's hair, "I'm right here."

Emma sobbed silently against Regina's chest as she wound her arms around her and held on tight. She focused on the smell of Regina's skin and the rhythmic sound of her heartbeat to help her calm herself. It didn't take as long for her to regain her composure this time as it had the night before, and she was grateful for that. Even when she stopped crying, Regina continued to rock her and stroke her hair.

"And you should know by now, you can't lose us, Emma. It's never going to happen. You will always have me and Henry."

Emma snuggled in closer to Regina. "Do you promise?"

"Of course, Emma, no matter what. I know you've never been used to people staying in your life before, but we've fought too hard to get to where we are now."

"Where are we now?" Emma asked, softly.

"I'm not really sure." Regina admitted. "Friends, I hope."

"Friends… I kissed you," Emma reminded her.

"I know."

"I don't know what that means," Emma admitted.

"Well… I guess the question would be, was it the curse, or was it you?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "I honestly don't know, Regina. I don't know what of anything I did was the curse, and what was me." And that was the truth. The time since she tethered the Dark One to herself, up until this moment, all seemed like a hazy blur of action and impulse and she couldn't remember what had _really_ driven her to do any off it.

"Maybe we don't need to figure it out right now," Regina offered.

Emma nodded. She could tell that the line between friendship and something more was starting to blur, for her at least, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it. "All I know is this is where I want to be. I have never felt safer than I do with you," she said.

"You will always be safe with me, Emma, I promise," Regina said, hugging her tighter.

* * *

Emma wasn't sure exactly when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she was still in Regina's arms, in her old bed, in Boston. Thankfully, she hadn't dreamed again, but now she was face to face with Regina, whose dark eyes seemed to be studying her intently.

"Morning," Regina said, softly.

Emma blinked at her for a moment, chasing the last remnants of sleep away. "Morning," she whispered back, before finding her voice. "You could have sent me back to the sofa bed."

Regina shook her head. "I wanted you to stay here, in case you had another nightmare."

Emma supposed that made sense. She'd had two nightmares in two nights, it wasn't much of a stretch to assume she'd have another one.

So she nodded. "Thanks."

"So," Regina sighed, still making no attempt to release Emma from her embrace. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I…" Emma let her voice trail off, as she realized she'd taken no inventory of her emotional state yet this morning. "I feel the same, but less."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, that's helpful."

"I think the curse changed me, Regina. I don't feel like I did yesterday, but I don't feel like myself, either. I'm caught somewhere in between."

"Fair enough," Regina nodded, as she finally let go of Emma and sat up. "So, I suppose we'll need to go grocery shopping?"

Emma groaned as she stretched. "Yeah," she agreed, "there's a supermarket not far from here."

Regina nodded as she got up from the bed. "Do you want the shower first?"

Emma smiled and shook her head. She'd never really lived with anyone - other than her parents, and Neal, if that even counted - and she wasn't really sure what she was expecting from this. She was sure that grocery shopping and politely asking who wanted to shower first wasn't it, though.

Then again, neither was cuddling up in bed and sleeping next to Regina.

Regina's behaviour was actually baffling her. In the past twenty-four hours, she'd told Regina she wanted to fuck her, she'd nearly killed her boyfriend, and then she'd kissed her directly after that.

Regina should want to kill her, but instead, she dropped everything to drive her four hundred miles away, and rocked her to sleep.

It didn't make sense.

Something was definitely up.

* * *

"Look at us, acting all domesticated," Emma commented, as she and Regina walked down an aisle of the supermarket together. The situation was awkward, to say the least, and Emma hoped that a joke might alleviate some of the tension.

Regina raised an eyebrow as she watched Emma drop a box of Pop Tarts into the cart. "Seriously?"

"What?" Emma looked at her, in utter confusion. "You think because I'm the darkest evil in the universe I don't like red velvet flavoured toaster pastries? They're only here for a limited time, you know."

Regina rolled her eyes, but held back the biting comment that was on the tip of her tongue, since this was the most Emma-like she'd seen Emma act since she became cursed in the first place. "Can you at least refrain from talking about curses when we're out in public?"

Emma shrugged. "This isn't Storybooke," she reminded her. "You can be out all day in Boston and not run into a single person you know. No one's going to care what I talk about, trust me."

"I see why you like it here. Anonymity," Regina commented.

"Yeah, well, I mean that helped with the line of business I was in. But it was more than just that," Emma sighed. "I know you think I didn't stay any place very long, before I came to Storybrooke, because of all that digging you had Sydney do into my past, but the actual truth is, I was in Boston a lot longer than you think I was. Sydney just didn't know that, because I had no permanent address for a lot of that time."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, confused.

"I mean, I didn't have a place to live. I was living in my car, I couldn't get a job, I didn't have any money and I… well, let's just say, it wasn't a great time in my life," Emma admitted. "But, this is also where I finally got back on my feet. I made a life for myself here, and I learned I could survive. Like I said, it's not home, but I feel safe here."

Regina sighed and nodded. "I didn't really expect to get into such deep discussions in the supermarket," she said, smiling.

"Me either," Emma shrugged. "But we kind of need to, don't we? Get into deep discussions, I mean."

"Yes, very much so," Regina agreed, and cringed as Emma dropped a box of Froot Loops into the cart. "And if you don't stop with that sugary crap, a deep discussion of your eating habits is going to make it onto the agenda as well."

Emma laughed, and reconsidered the box of Lucky Charms. "It's kind of nice though, isn't it?"

"What's nice, dear?"

"Being here without magic. I mean, I miss Henry and my parents, but… there's no pressure here."

"No savior pressure, you mean?" Regina asked, to clarify.

"Yeah, exactly."

" _That_ is definitely going on the agenda," Regina noted.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. She knew there was no use in fighting it now, as it was the one thing that she need to talk about the most. "So what else is on the agenda? The curse… and I'm assuming everything from yesterday? What else?"

"Well, let's start with those things, and go on from there, shall we?" Regina suggested.

"Okay," Emma agreed, though she was in no way looking forward to this.

* * *

"So what's first? Curse? Savior-hood? _Robin_ Hood… or?" Emma said, once they were back in the apartment, and had put all the groceries away.

"Or perhaps what happened in the back alley behind the bar, or what you confessed to me yesterday morning?" Regina suggested, knowing full well that's what Emma was alluding to. "What would you like to discuss first?"

Emma thought for a moment. "Robin."

Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Why?"

Emma shrugged. "Seems like the easiest place to start."

"Okay, so start."

Emma breathed a heavy sigh. They were sitting on the couch in the main room, which faced out to the city. It was a big room with big windows but suddenly it felt claustrophobic.

"How mad are you?" Emma asked, taking Regina by surprise, again.

"What makes you think I'm mad?"

"How could you not be? I tried to kill him… we can't just act like it didn't happen, because it did. And yeah, it was the curse, but… it was also me. It's not like thoughts like that never crossed my mind before, it's just that under the curse, I can't control them."

"The man is the curse; the curse is the man," Regina muttered.

"What?"

"I found it, in one of the books I was researching in. A Dark One, I don't even know who, but he wrote that on a piece of paper. I brought it with me," Regina said, getting up to retrieve the paper from her suitcase in the bedroom.

She returned a moment later, and began to read aloud: "My darkest desires boil just below the surface now. It is not a man and a curse any longer. The man is the curse; the curse is the man. Perhaps it's not a curse at all. Perhaps it is just the man, amplified."

Emma looked down at the paper in Regina's hand. "Looks like gibberish, from here."

"It's Elvish."

"Of course it is. Whatever it is, it's pretty damn accurate, actually. That's what it's like. It's like Emma, amplified."

"So you wanted to hurt Robin," Regina nodded, letting that information truly sink in.

Emma shrugged. "He hurt you first."

"So, what, you were defending my honour?"

"In my own fucked up way, yeah, I guess I was," Emma nodded.

"Because if you want to punch Robin, then all those things you said about wanting me were really you, too, weren't they?"

Emma bit her lip and continued to look straight ahead as she nodded.

"How long have you felt this way."

"A hell of a lot longer than I've been cursed," Emma admitted. "It was just easier to push it down, before then."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Emma turned to look at Regina, with her best are-you-fucking-kidding-me look. "Seriously?"

"Nevermind. Stupid question," Regina admitted. "So I guess the question remains, then, where do we go from here?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

"Where do we..." Emma repeated, trailing off as she wasn't quite sure what Regina was asking her. She didn't even know how Regina felt in all of this, how was she supposed to know where go to from here?

"Yes, well, we've discussed Robin Hood, I don't think there's much left to say on that matter at the moment, so what's next?" Regina clarified.

Emma gaped at her for a moment, trying to decide if that was _really_ what she had meant, or if she had taken a moment to recover once she realized what she had said. She supposed it didn't matter, this discussion was going to have to take place sooner or later, and sooner was likely better, as she still found her head to be relatively clear of the curse at the moment.

Relatively.

"Do you want to talk about the pressures of being the savior?" Regina offered.

Emma smirked. "Well, I think you're the savior now. You're saving the savior after all, so it would appear I've passed the torch."

"Helping you is not the same as being responsible for everyone else's happiness. That's an unfair pressure to put on to anyone," Regina noted.

"Why… why are you helping me?"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I? You have my back and I have yours, I thought that was how this dynamic worked?"

Emma sighed. "Okay, seriously Regina, enough. You're not acting like yourself. Nothing I say or do fazes you. Why? You should hate me for what I did to Robin! You should be totally freaked out about what I told you , I told you I wanted to _fuck_ you and you acted like I complimented your jacket."

Regina swallowed hard and pursed her lips, and, for the first time, Emma could see the inner struggle swirling around in those dark eyes. Had it been there all along? Perhaps Regina wasn't taking things as well as she thought she was. Perhaps she just couldn't see the struggle because she was too caught up in the shitstorm raging in her own head.

"You sacrificed yourself to save me, Emma," Regina said, finally. Her voice sounded small all of a sudden, which confused Emma.

"Yeah, I know. You would have done the same for me, I'm sure," Emma replied, downplaying her own heroics, as she usually did.

"Maybe so, but that's not the point."

"So what is the point, then?"

Regina turned to Emma, brown eyes locking with green. "The point is, no other person would have done that for me."

Emma faltered for a moment. She hadn't expected that, and she'd never really thought about it that way, either. "But… no, Regina, I'm not the only one. Robin loves you, he would have."

Regina laughed, rolling her eyes. "Really?" she scoffed. "Because as _I_ remember it, _he_ was there. He was there and you saved me. That says it all, doesn't it?"

Emma nodded slowly, letting that information digest. Regina was right. Emma couldn't think of another person who would have done what she'd done. As far as she could tell, most people in Regina's life would love to see her demise, and even the ones who wouldn't, even they still wouldn't be so quick to step up to the plate and prevent it.

"Me helping you… it's more than just repaying a simple favour because I think I owe you. I owe you my _life_ , and that means something to me. Out of everyone in this world, you have as much, if not more of a right to hate me than most, but you don't. I might never understand _why_ , but it's just… it's just nice to…"

"Nice to have someone put you first, for once?" Emma offered. Regina nodded quickly, as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Something like that," she whispered, but Emma wasn't about to let her play this one off lightly. Heartfelt confessions from Regina were few and far between, and Emma was grabbing on to this one with both hands.

"The reason I don't hate you, is because I understand you," Emma explained. "Hurt or be hurt. It's the safest way to live when all you know is hurt and betrayal, and I get that. I get you."

Regina forced a smile as she wiped more tears from her cheeks. "I thought we were supposed to be helping you?"

Emma just chuckled as she leaned back on the couch. "Maybe we can help each other?"

* * *

"I like this," Regina called from the kitchen.

"What?"

"This," she said again, as Emma finally turned to look. Regina was smiling and pointing at the large porcelain apple sitting on the countertop.

Emma smirked. "It came with the apartment."

"Sure it did."

When their conversation had fizzled out to nothing after Emma's suggestion that they help each other, Regina offered to make lunch, while Emma unpacked some of her suitcase into the hall closet. She would have used her own closet, but since she gave Regina her room, she guessed that might have been awkward.

As if everything else _wasn't_ awkward.

"Emma, come eat something," Regina said, as she set two plates down at Emma's kitchen island. Emma shut the closet door and headed over to join Regina.

"I don't think these plates have ever seen food this fancy," Emma commented, as she sat down and picked up a fork.

"I hardly call chicken caesar salad fancy," Regina scoffed.

Emma had to laugh. "Fancy compared to Pop Tarts," she shrugged. "So, you haven't told me if you like my apartment."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "It's not what I expected, that's for sure," she admitted. "But it's nice. You did well for yourself, Emma."

Emma shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was good at my job. But this place isn't bad. I could live here again."

"Emma, you understand that coming here is only temporary, correct?"

Emma sighed and looked up at Regina. "For you, maybe. I might not have a choice."

"Can you please stop looking at it like that? I don't want to have to give you a hope speech," Regina threatened.

Emma laughed. "Sorry about your luck, it comes with the savior territory. It's in the job description."

"Along with a red leather jacket, I wonder?"

"You wish," Emma said, as she stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. "We should go out tonight."

"Out?"

"Yeah, out. As in, out of the apartment. To a club or something. I'm feeling antsy, I need to burn off this nervous energy," Emma said. And it was true. She might be feeling more normal, but she certainly wasn't completely herself, even in Boston. She could feel it.

"Why don't _you_ go out, and I'll stay in and wait for you?" Regina suggested.

Emma rolled her eyes. "What if I go all Dark One in the middle of the dance floor? I can't go alone. I need a babysitter, remember?"

"That's not funny, Emma. That could happen."

"I have to joke about it to stay sane. I'm not going to go Dark One, but I want you to come. We both deserve to kick back, don't we? All we do is fight villains and save Storybrooke. Don't you ever just want to have some _fun_?" Emma whined.

"You're not planning on taking me someplace filthy are you? I don't want to catch a disease."

"No, we'll go someplace nice, I promise. I just want to get a little drunk and dance and just forget how completely fucked I am, just for one night. Is that too much to ask?"

"No, I suppose not. And I suppose you _do_ need a babysitter," Regina said, smirking.

"Yeah, sure, _that's_ your only motivation, isn't it? Have you ever even been to a real bar? And no, the Rabbit Hole doesn't count."

Regina rolled her eyes again. "You know I haven't."

Emma grinned. "This will be fun. Let's just forget the world for one night, okay? Forget fairytales and curses and saviors and magic and just get drunk and dance to loud music."

Regina chewed on her bottom lip as she considered the offer. "You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually."

"It sounds like an awesome idea, actually. Just give me this one night, and I promise tomorrow you can delve into whatever part of my psyche you want and make me tell you all my deepest, darkest secrets," Emma vowed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, dear."

* * *

In the afternoon, Snow called with an update, which really wasn't an update at all, since they'd found nothing thus far. Emma let Regina field that call, since as much as she liked to pretend it wasn't bothering her, being forced to be separated from her family again was nearly unbearable for Emma.

Regina could tell her all she wanted that it was temporary, but Gold had been cursed for centuries, and Emma wondered if it was too much to hope for that the curse could be lifted from her before that happened.

She couldn't imagine the torture that eternal life would be. Even sitting at the kitchen island, watching Regina on the phone, it occurred to her that Regina and her parents and even Henry would all grow old and eventually die, and she would be all alone, all over again.

Alone. She'd been alone all of her life before Storybrooke. It was comfortable then, but it was terrifying now. How strange that such a short time with friends and family and a purpose could change Emma's whole outlook on life.

She watched Regina pacing as she talked to Snow. She tried to imagine what it would be like to watch her grow old while Emma remained forever as she was now.

It wasn't fair. Even though she'd do it again in a heartbeat to save Regina, it wasn't fair that _this_ was the price she had to pay. She had already made peace with the fact that there was no happy ending waiting for her, how cruel was fate to make her live for _centuries_ knowing that? Never finding true love? Never finding real happiness? Never having peace?

It was too much.

She needed to go out tonight and drink herself into oblivion more than Regina even realized, she was sure. Not that Regina would let her drink herself into oblivion. No, Regina would make her stay in control, because Regina wouldn't realize that losing control in a controlled environment was exactly what she needed right now.

The itch was still there, and she needed an outlet. She needed an outlet in a world without magic and since sex and fighting were both out of the question, she supposed she would have to resort to drinking.

She stared at Regina's figure as Regina continued to pace, and she asked herself if sex really was out of the question?

 _Get it together, Swan!_

The thoughts were creeping back, and Emma knew it. Leaving Storybrooke didn't put a stop to the impulses, it just prevented her from having magic. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Gold had been forced out of Storybrooke, and that did nothing to stop his revenge plan, and his quest to find the author.

At least here, there was a level playing field. She wasn't going to be strangling anyone with magic, and she couldn't poof herself away when things got too real.

Being in Boston was both better and worse at the same time.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

"What is the dress code for a club?" Regina asked, coming out of her - Emma's - bedroom.

"Not that," Emma scoffed, looking at Regina's black pantsuit and blazer, with a burgundy silk blouse.

"Well, obviously I didn't come prepared for this!" Regina retorted, defensively.

"Okay, chill," Emma laughed. "Did you bring any skirts or dresses?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "One."

"Put that on, let me see," Emma grinned. She, herself, had been dressed and ready to go for almost an hour, in a black skirt, cut above the knee, tall black leather boots and a deep red camisole top. It had been ages since she'd dressed like this, but she'd lucked out and found a couple boxes of her old clothes still in the closet, thankfully untouched by her subletter.

Regina came back out a few minutes later in a simple dark purple sleeveless dress that came to her knee.

"See, that's fine," Emma said, with a shrug. "It's businessy, but it'll be dark in there. No one's gonna know the difference. Plus, they'll all be drunk anyway."

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Regina grumbled as she dropped her keys into her purse.

"If I recall, you weren't all that hard to convince," Emma grinned. "And if you change your mind, then you have to watch the new _Avengers_ movie with me, so you make a choice."

"I'll take my chances at the club."

"That's the spirit!" Emma laughed. "I'll call us a cab."

"I have a car."

"Right, but you should have some drinks with me," Emma reasoned. "It's no fun to drink alone."

"I'm not getting drunk. I need to keep an eye on you. And for the record, you're not getting drunk, either."

"Whatever, we're still cabbing it. This isn't Storybrooke, Regina. There's no magical monsters and villains, so just relax and we'll go out and have a good time and not worry for one night. I need this, okay?"

"I know. Fine. Call us a cab."

Nearly thirty minutes later, Emma and Regina were standing on the curb in front of Emma's building, waiting for their cab to arrive. Emma was excited, but Regina was growing increasingly more annoyed.

"The cab was supposed to be here seven minutes ago," Regina pointed out.

"Like I said, this isn't Storybrooke. Streets in Boston have a little more traffic, so please just chill." This time, it was Emma who rolled her eyes, but before she continued, she spotted the cab rolling up. "See, it's here."

Regina sighed as Emma climbed eagerly into the cab, and then she followed suit, and little more tentatively, wondering if this was really a good idea. She really had no clue how the Dark One curse worked at all, let alone how it would work on a drunken Dark One in a land without magic.

She guessed she would soon find out, because she was already sure attempting to limit Emma's alcohol consumption was going to be next to impossible.

Emma rattled on for the entire ride to the club, pointing out random places she used to go to eat, or where she had apprehended certain bounties during her time as a bail bonds person. Regina half listened, and more regarded Emma, realising, perhaps for the first time really, that Emma had had a whole other life before she came to Storybrooke. Emma knew all their stories, from the book, but Regina wondered if anyone had ever asked Emma _her_ story. She knew she hadn't. And while she was sure Emma preferred her Storybrooke life, still she wondered if the blonde ever missed her old, carefree life in Boston.

The cab ride for the club was a short one, and before Regina could think any harder on it, they had arrived.

Regina rolled her eyes, looking up at the flashy sign as she got out of the car. "The Silver Swan? _Seriously?_ "

"Right?" Emma laughed. "Clubs change all the time. This one's new, and I have a good feeling about it."

"I'm sure you do."

"Come on, the line's not long, let's go in," Emma said, practically whining as though Regina might suddenly change her mind about all of this. For all she knew, that might very well happen, so she grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her toward the end of the line.

"You're worse than a child at a toy store!" Regina declared, as they finally reached their destination.

Emma just grinned. It had been _far_ too long since she'd been able to let loose, at all. Drinks with Ruby at the Rabbit Hole just weren't the same, not when she still had to wake up and be the Sheriff and the Savior the next morning. It was hard to relax with that pressure, and now with the curse added into the mix, relaxing was almost a foreign concept.

The line moved rather quickly, and Regina noticed straight away that they only seemed to be letting women in. Emma explained that they liked to let the hot girls in first, to attract the men later.

"Well, I guess that makes us the hot girls then?" Regina asked, smirking, once they had gotten inside.

"Absolutely," Emma laughed. "Come on, let's get a drink."

To Regina's relief, the bar carried hard cider _and_ red wine, so she guessed the night wouldn't be completely unbearable for her. She started with a hard cider, while Emma lined up tequila shots right off the bat.

"C'mon, Regina. You _know_ you want to take one of these with me," Emma smirked, holding a glass out to Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes and held up her cider. "I'm fine."

"Whatever," Emma said, shrugging her shoulders as the downed two shots back to back. "God, it's been way too long."

Emma tapped the bar to order two more shots, and after she had downed those ones just as quickly, Regina knew she had to step in. At this rate, Emma would be blackout drunk before the hour was even over.

"Hey, come on, you wanted to come here and dance, right? Burn off some of that pent up frustration?" Regina suggested.

Emma grinned in response, a little lopsided as the tequila was already hitting her hard. "You gonna come with? I wanna show you my moves," Emma giggled, standing up from the bar and grabbing Regina's hand, dragging her out onto the dark and obscenely loud dance floor.

Emma wasted no time wrapping her arms around Regina's neck and gyrating right up against her. Her eyes were half closed, and she seemed completely oblivious to her surroundings, but Regina was suddenly hyper focused.

She'd be lying if she claimed she'd never thought of Emma in a sexual way. The tension between them had been thick from the moment Emma had arrived on her doorstep, and in time, animosity had given way to blatant desire and attraction, at least as far as Regina was concerned.

She'd had gained much looser morals during her reign as Evil Queen, however, and much more deviant tastes than she was sure Emma was used too. Though she had come a long way from then, she was anything but vanilla, even now. Emma, however - despite her penchant for a few drinks, or cutting limbs off an apple tree - Regina was sure Emma's tastes were a little more… benign.

Then again, up until a few days ago, she'd _also_ been sure that Emma was straight as an arrow, and now she knew that clearly wasn't the case.

And now, the way that Emma was grinding against her, her hips and her breasts pressing into Regina's body, Regina had to wonder if she'd misjudged her entirely, right from the start.

Or maybe it was just the curse.

Either way, given the situation they were now in, living in the such close quarters, with no one else around, Regina knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed that line. It was no longer a question of if, but a question of when.

The darkness was feeding on Emma, and Regina knew all too well how giving in to more carnal desires helped take the edge off. Any question of right and wrong slipped out of her mind in that moment, because she, of all people, knew what Emma needed.

And the way that Emma's body was moving against her, she knew she needed it, too.

She leaned in close to Emma's ear. "Let's get out of here."

Emma leaned back and grinned, her green eyes sparkling wildly. She knew there was no way she'd misinterpreted _that_ , and the way that Regina's pupils had nearly eclipsed the brown in her eyes only confirmed Emma's suspicions.

 _Take her. Now._

Emma shuddered as that all too familiar voice rang through her mind in that moment. She knew she wasn't completely free of the curse, not even here in Boston, but this was the first it had spoken to her since they left Storybrooke.

"Shit," she mumbled, shaking her head.

 _She's yours. Your willing prey. Devour her. Dominate her. Fuck her. Now._

Emma drew in a deep breath and grabbed Regina's hand, dragging her across the dance floor and out to the open patio, hoping the night air would clear her head.

Maybe drinks and dancing hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

"Emma, I didn't mean outside," Regina said, once they'd stepped onto the patio. "I meant back to your apartment."

"I know," Emma said, breathlessly, and wasted no time pushing Regina back up against the wall, seeming completely obviously to the people out on the patio, looking on.

"Emma!" Regina gasped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I need you. Here. Now," Emma said, breathlessly, as she planted her lips on Regina's neck and started kissing and sucking her way down to her collarbone.

"Emma," Regina said again, her voice becoming more strained, partially with panic and partially with arousal. She cast a sideways glance at the other people on the patio, and to her relief, at least, most seemed too preoccupied with their drinks or their friends to notice them.

Regina gasped again as she felt Emma's sharp teeth bite down on her collarbone. "Emma!" she cried, forcefully enough this time to snap her out of her little trance. Emma kissed the spot where her teeth had just been. There was no blood, but she could tell she was pushing too far.

And the voice in her head told her to keep pushing.

 _Take her._

"I need you," Emma whispered, bringing her mouth close to Regina's ear. Her voice was trembling with desire, and Regina was sure that Emma might just rip her clothes off right then and there.

"Emma," Regina sighed, bringing her hands up to cup Emma's face, pushing her back slightly so she could look in her eyes. "This isn't right. Not… not here."

 _Take her. Here. Now._

Emma closed her eyes to shut out that incessant voice inside her head. She brought her own hands up to cover Regina's and nodded slowly in agreement. "Not here," she repeated, in a whisper.

"Let's get out of here, Emma," Regina insisted.

Emma simply nodded again, despite the voice of the curse screaming at her inside her head. The battle was exhausting and she knew she would lose control soon, but it didn't have to be right here. Not right here in front of all these people. Regina deserved better than that.

"Okay," Emma said, finally, "let's get a cab, back to my apartment." She was still breathless, and her cheeks and chest were flushed. Regina couldn't tell if it was from the drinks or the arousal, but she guessed it was likely a mix of the two.

They walked, slightly more calmly, back inside and across the dance floor, back out to the curb to wait for a cab. They'd barely been inside half an hour, and Regina was grateful that there was no cover for women at this club, as it would have been completely wasted. She wondered if the night would have turned out the same if they'd stayed home watching a movie. She guessed it more than likely would have. She was pretty sure this was the path they were destined to take from the moment Emma had confessed to wanting to fuck her.

The night was still young, so it wasn't difficult to catch a cab. The moment they were seated, Emma all but pounced on Regina, climbing up to straddle her lap, placing her hands on Regina's shoulders and going straight for her neck again, kissing and licking the sensitive skin there. Regina let out a low moan and closed her eyes, attempting to ignore the fact that there was a cab driver, likely leering at them from the rear view mirror.

It was out of her control now. Emma was out of control, and her behaviour was tapping into a darker part of Regina's own psyche, unleashing desires she hadn't felt this strongly in a very long time - not with Graham, not with Robin - no, Emma was different. They had connected emotionally, and spiritually even, she was sure, and now they were about to connect physically.

The cab ride was short, and soon enough they were on the curb again, in front of Emma's building, Emma smiling seductively in the moonlight.

And Regina was aware that everything was about to change for them, forever.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

"Tell me right now that you're into this," Emma said, the moment they had made it back into the apartment. Her lips were on Regina's neck before she'd even shut the door, and she was pushing her hard up against the wall, pinning Regina's hands above her head before she could even begin to answer Emma.

"Mmmm what?" Regina asked, breathlessly, her eyes closed already, as Emma continued her sensual assault on the hypersensitive flesh on her neck.

Emma pulled her mouth back from Regina's pulse point momentarily to look the brunette seriously in her eyes. "Tell me that you want this."

Regina let out a small laugh and shook her head, before leaning back in towards Emma's mouth, seeking out the younger woman's lips with her own again. She pressed her hungry lips down hard, but Emma pulled back again. "Emma?" Regina asked, confused this time.

"I need to know you want this," Emma said, taking a step back to prove her point, "right now, while I'm still in the frame of mind to ask for your consent because… well, in another minute I won't be able to anymore. I need to know you're into this no matter how... kinky it gets."

Regina laughed again. "Kinky? My dear, you don't know what kink is," Regina said, winking.

This was a side of Regina Emma had never seen before, and as much as she liked it, she was still terrified of her own dark urges. As much as she _needed_ this, she also needed to be able to live with herself when it was all over, and she knew she'd never be able to do that - or look Regina in the eyes again - if she took this too far or crossed a line.

"Regina, I'm serious."

And Regina nodded, her face becoming serious as well, as she cupped Emma's face in her hands. "I know," she said, looking intensely into Emma's eyes. "And I know _exactly_ what you need from me, Emma. I know what I'm about to get myself into, and I know how intense it might get. And, yes, I want it."

That was all Emma needed to lunge at Regina again, crashing her lips against Regina's forcefully, almost violently. She pushed forward with her tongue, separating Regina's lips with ease and devouring her mouth, tasting her tongue roughly with her own. Regina let out a low moan deep in her throat, partly from the surprise and partly from the sheer force of Emma's actions. The sound was enough to drive Emma wild.

Emma pressed her up against the wall again, tearing eagerly at her clothing. Emma's hands quickly found the zip on the side of Regina's short dress, pulling it down quickly before pushing her dress off her shoulders and pushing it to the floor around Regina's feet in a moment, leaving her in nothing but her under garments.

Emma took a deep breath as she took in the sight of Regina's body, the swell of her breast which were heaving with her shallow breaths. Emma thought back to how the sight of those breasts had affected her days ago in Regina's kitchen in Storybrooke, and that was nothing compared to what they were doing to her now. She wasn't in the frame of mind to be slow or gentle or even savour the moment as she grabbed at each of Regina's full breasts with eager hands. Deep down, she knew that Regina deserved to be worshipped, but all she could do right now was practically devour her.

Emma's mouth reached Regina's collarbone, licking and sucking at the skin there with bruising force. It was rough, but it wasn't enough for Emma's suddenly insatiable need to dominate Regina right then and there. She squeezed hard on each of Regina's breasts, and Regina let out a pained gasp as Emma sunk her sharp teeth into the soft skin of her clavicle. The coppery taste of Regina's blood was enough to give Emma slight pause, and she pulled back for a moment to survey the indentation her teeth had left behind, before leaning back in to lick the wound.

Regina moaned again, this one sounding more like pleasure than pain, and Emma could already tell she was actually getting off from the pain she was inflicting. Regina wasn't lying when she said how intense it might get, Emma realized, and she guessed she should have known that the Evil Queen would like it rough. Still she'd always expected that Regina would be more likely to take on the role of the aggressor in a situation like this, but then again, the night was still young, and maybe she was just letting Emma have some fun before the tables were turned.

Emma peppered kissed around the reddened skin near the bite mark as her hands reached around to undo the clasp on Regina's bra. She made quick work of it, surprising even herself at the smooth motion, when she was normally much more awkward and fumbling when it came to sexual encounters. She supposed that perhaps the curse was actually working to her benefit in this situation, at least.

Emma's mouth soon found Regina's right nipple, licking and sucking as she pinched at the left between her finger and thumb of her right hand. She could hear Regina panting above her, and knew that even if she hadn't have asked for her explicit consent, she'd still know she was into this. It almost amazed her that she was, but she guessed she didn't really know all that much about Regina's sexual desires.

She bit lightly at Regina's nipple, careful not to break the skin this time, as her hands found their way to the waistband of Regina's lace panties. For a fleeting second, Emma wondered how expensive those panties were, before she ripped them from Regina's body. The momentary groan from above her told her they were probably very expensive, but she figured she was about to make it up to Regina, anyway.

The voice in her head seemed to be subdued for the moment, and she guessed she was giving the darkness what it wanted, at least for the time being, as she slid her tongue down Regina's torso, until she reached her wet folds.

"Oh, my God, you're fucking _soaked_ ," Emma muttered, before sliding two fingers quickly inside her, as her tongue lapped around Regina's swollen clit. She sucked the nub between her lips and flicked at it roughly with her tongue as she pumped her fingers inside Regina quicker and harder.

Regina was moaning loudly above her, and Emma was impressed with her own ability to pleasure the brunette. It hadn't been all that long since Regina had wanted her dead, and now, well, now she was putty in Emma's hands.

Emma felt Regina's legs beginning to shake as she pumped her fingers harder, and she knew the other woman was close. Emma pulled her mouth away, leaning back to look up at Regina, who had her lips parted slightly and her eyes closed, her chest flushed with arousal.

"God, you're so fucking beautiful," Emma said, almost in awe. Regina's eyes snapped open to meet Emma's, and Emma could see that her pupils had nearly eclipsed the honey brown.

Emma rubbed at Regina's clit with her thumb as she continued to pump her fingers, quickly adding a third like it was nothing. Regina moaned again, low and guttural, as her eyes closed again, and Emma smiled darkly up at her.

"You want to come, my little slut?" Emma asked, barely recognizing her own voice as it left her lips. She'd never been one for degradation or even dirty talk, really, but in this moment, it was like someone else was speaking for her.

She guessed, in a way, someone else really was. Or something.

But Regina just moaned again, and nodded, causing Emma to speed up her motions again. She kept her thumb on that sensitive bundle of nerves, rubbing harder and faster, wanting to watch Regina's face when she came.

And Emma knew that orgasm was imminent.

"Fucking slut," Emma muttered, though she smiled up at Regina almost proudly, possessively, "come for me."

And Regina let out a scream as she came. Emma reached up with her free hand and Regina grabbed onto it to steady herself as her orgasm overtook her. She let out a few more gasping moans and took some panting breaths before opening her eyes as Emma finally withdrew her fingers.

Regina dropped to her knees in front of Emma as Emma stood and grabbed a hold of Regina's hair, tilting her head back so her mouth fell open of its own volition. Without warning, Emma shoved her glistening fingers into Regina's mouth and Regina's tongue went to work, cleaning her own cum from Emma's fingers.

Emma withdrew her fingers and stepped back, allowing Regina to stand again before crashing her lips against hers again.

"You taste so fucking good," Emma murmured into Regina's mouth, "don't you think, Your Majesty."

"Mmm-hmm," Regina muttered her agreement, before pushing Emma back with one hand and looking at her with a fierce intensity. "Call me a slut again, however, and you _will_ regret it."

Emma's eyes widened as she nodded her agreement. She might be the Dark One now, but Regina had a whole lot more experience with dark deeds than she did, and she didn't take a threat like that from the former Evil Queen lightly, especially not with the burning intensity in Regina's eyes now.

"You've been a bad girl, Emma," Regina drawled, smirking as she grabbed Emma by the shoulders and turned them so Emma was against the wall this time. "You've been a bad girl and I think you need me to punish you."

Emma's heart skipped a beat, and suddenly she felt a moment of lucidity. Regina's sultry voice spoke to her soul, and the prospect of punishment excited Emma to her core. _Emma_ , not the Dark One. She knew that tingly heat burning between her legs was _all_ her and not the curse. She doubted the Dark One got off on punishment.

But the war was still waging inside her head. "I don't need to be punished," she countered. "I need to be fucked. Preferably by you. Right now."

"You've been a bad girl," Regina repeated, smiling now. "You've been flirting with me, seducing me, marking me with your teeth, calling me names… you've ignited a part of me that's been lying dormant for a long time, Emma. You've excited the darkness inside me with your own, and now the Evil Queen wants to come out and play. You're not going to deny her, are you?"

"Regina," Emma mumbled, nearly whining, trying to figure out exactly what Regina was playing at right now.

"Regina?" Regina repeated, looking almost offended at the use of her name. "I really preferred it when you addressed me as 'Your Majesty," she cooed.

"Your Majesty," Emma repeated, equal parts confused and turned on, and amazed that even though Regina was the naked one, she _still_ managed to hold the upper hand… even in Boston, even in Emma's apartment, even when Emma was the Dark One.

"You're not afraid, are you, Emma?"

Emma swallowed hard. This is what she'd wanted, right? To give in to the darkness in a world without magic, where there could be no magical repercussions. Regina had said she knew exactly what Emma needed, and Emma guessed perhaps it was time to see if she was right about that.

"No," Emma said, finally, "I'm not afraid."

"Tell me you want it," Regina instructed, repeating Emma's question from earlier, "because trust me when I say, I really, _really,_ won't be concerned with your consent in about five minutes. Tell me right now, yes or no?"

"I don't even know what I'm agreeing to!" Emma whined.

"Well then, allow me to explain…."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Regina bit her lip to force down the smile curling up as she trailed a finger along Emma's jaw, down her neck and across her collarbone. Emma swallowed hard, as Regina stared into her eyes, not breaking eye contact for a second.

"You've been a bad girl," Regina said, again, the words sending a chill down Emma's spine. "Your darkness has been running rampant, completely unchecked, hasn't it? And you feel bad about that, don't you?"

In spite of herself, Emma nodded, completely in awe of Regina in this moment. She'd met the Evil Queen when she'd fallen through the time portal, and again, briefly, during the Snow Queen's spell, but never _like this_. It was suddenly very obvious how Regina managed to get so many people to do her bidding. The woman practically _oozed_ sexuality. It was so thick in the air Emma could _taste_ it.

And right now, Regina was focusing _all_ her attention on Emma.

This was new.

"You feel bad… Do you want me to make you feel better?"

"I want you to make me feel fucking fantastic, but I think I'm wearing far too much clothing at the moment," Emma said. The words escaped her mouth before she even had a moment to process them. Perhaps it was for the best, as if she had actually thought about them first, she probably would have come out with something far more awkward than that.

"You want me to fuck you, but that's not going to do anything but relieve some tension."

"Relieve away, your Majesty!"

"Uh-uh, not yet," Regina said, holding up a finger to silence Emma. "You don't want to feel bad anymore. You want to feel better. And for that, I need to punish you and take all those bad feeling away, before I fuck you until you can't see straight."

Emma groaned at Regina's words. She was pretty sure if Regina kept talking to her like this, she was going to get off on the sound of her voice alone, but that wasn't really what she wanted. She _wanted_ to get off, but she wanted Regina to be _touching_ her.

"Punish me how?" Emma wondered aloud.

"Just a little spanking," Regina said, attempting to sound as innocent as possible.

"You want to _spank_ me?" Emma gasped. She'd never done anything like that before. Clavicle bites aside, she'd always been a little but vanilla in the bedroom.

"You need it," Regina said with a shrug. "And I think you might even enjoy it."

Emma's breath hitched at the idea, and she wondered if Regina might just be right about that. "Okay," she breathed.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay, yeah… let's do this. Punish me, your Majesty."

A smile curled up at Regina's lips again, as she leaned in close to Emma's ear. "Good girl."

Emma breathed the words in, as she felt a surge straight to her throbbing sex. There was something so utterly alluring about being called _good_ when she knew there was so much darkness surging through her right now. So many people were terrified of her, but not Regina.

Oh no, Regina _would_ be the type to look the Dark One in the eye and tell her she wanted to spank her for her misdeeds. Leave it to the Evil Queen.

Regina grabbed Emma by the shoulders and spun her around to face the wall, pushing her arms up above her head before grabbing the hem of her camisole and pulling it up and over her head, over her arms, and tossing it to the floor. The bra was next to go, and as Regina reached for Emma's wrist to lower her arms back to her sides, she trailed a line of butterfly kisses from her spine over her shoulder blades.

The extra light touch made Emma shiver, but before she could make any comment about how decidedly _un_ -evil this was, Regina sank her teeth into the soft flesh of Emma's shoulder, causing the blonde to wince and cry out.

Regina kissed the wound before bringing her mouth to Emma's ear again. "Not so much fun when you're the one being bitten, is it?"

Emma let out a low moan. "Fuck… no, I love it."

Regina raised an eyebrow as her hands found the zipper on Emma's skirt, opening it and pushing the material down to the floor. "Really. I'll have to keep that in mind," she drawled as her hands grabbed each of Emma's toned ass cheeks, kneading them roughly through her black cotton panties.

"You have no _idea_ how long I've waited for this moment, Emma. How many times I wished I could take you over my knee and _spank_ you."

Emma moaned again as Regina's fingers slipped into the waistband of her underwear, pulling back slightly before letting them snap back against her skin. "Take these off, and meet me in your bedroom," Regina instructed, turning on her heel to cross the room.

Emma placed her forehead against the wall for a moment, trying to regain her equilibrium so she could actually complete the task without her brain completely short-circuiting. She took a few deep breaths, and then shimmied her way out of her panties and darted across the floor to her bedroom, where Regina had shut the door behind her.

She swung the door open to find Regina sitting on the edge of her bed, wearing a deep purple silk kimono-like robe and a smirk on her face.

"Fuck, that was fast," Emma said, noting the wardrobe change as she now stood awkwardly in the doorway, naked.

Leave it to Emma to find a way to _still_ be awkward, even when she was the darkest of evil beings in all the realms.

"Stop stalling and get over here," Regina said, patting her lap for emphasis.

Emma exhaled slowly and crossed the room in steady steps, careful not to betray her nervousness or excitement as she laid herself across Regina's lap, flat belly over the older woman's legs, hands planted firmly on the ground in front of her for support, legs partially bent and toes on the floor behind her.

Regina placed her left hand flat on Emma's lower back, and began stroking slow, deliberate circles over Emma's pale ass cheeks with her right, as Emma let out a deep breath and allowed her head to drop.

"I should make you count, but I won't, as I'm fairly sure this is a first for you," Regina cooed from above her.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Shh. Now, ground rules. I'm only going to hit you with my bare hand and the safe word is Storybrooke. If it gets to be too much and you want to stop, just say it. If you _don't_ say it, I won't stop until I'm done, no matter how much you cry or beg. And believe me, Emma, you will cry. Now, what's the safe word?"

"Storybrooke."

"And what happens when I say it?"

"You stop."

"Good girl."

Before Emma could even take a moment to cherish that latest bit of praise, Regina's hand was lifted and came back down with a shocking sting.

"Fuck," Emma whispered.

"Quiet," Regina said, as she laid another blow on Emma's other cheek.

Emma bit her lip as another swift smack came, and then another and another, alternating cheeks as they came. She squirmed when Regina's hand came down hard on her sit spot, but let out nothing more than a whimper.

She'd be damned if she was going to cry.

"It feels good, doesn't it? To be punished. That darkness inside you is just eating you up, and you feel bad, don't you? You feel guilty. I know you do Emma, but you don't have to, not anymore. You're being punished. We're clearing the slate."

Emma honed in on Regina's words as the spanks continued, each one hurting a little more than the last, and Emma couldn't tell if Regina was hitting her harder, or the skin was just more tender after each hit. She guessed maybe it was a little of both.

But Regina was right. It did feel good. It was cathartic, in a way. She hadn't done anything _that_ bad, really, save for nearly strangling Robin, but she'd apologized for that, at least. But even though she hadn't _really_ given in to the darkness, not completely, Regina was right. She felt bad. She felt bad for every dark thought that surged through her brain. She felt bad for whatever had possessed her to speak to Regina like she had when she was fucking her that evening.

Regina was the fucking Queen, she deserved better than that.

And Emma was about to be fucked by the Queen.

But, for now, she focused on her punishment. With every hit that landed, she felt a little shred of that guilt, those bad feelings, evaporate. Maybe this is really what she needed, after all. Running and punching trees and eating and dancing and drinking and even fucking Regina, none of it had taken those feelings away.

But this. This was working.

Emma let out a choked whimper when suddenly the next blow she anticipated didn't come. Regina had stopped spanking her, and now she was lightly stroking the tender skin. Only then did Emma realize she was crying. Not even just crying, full on sobbing.

"Shh… it's okay Emma. You did so well," Regina praised, as she ran her other hand up and down the length of Emma's back. "Such a good, good girl."

Regina continued stroking Emma's skin as the blonde calmed down and regained control of her breathing, for the most part, but made no attempt to remove herself from her lap.

"I'm so proud of you," Regina continued. Regina, not the Evil Queen, Emma was sure of this. That had been just Regina the whole time, she was sure. "I think you deserve a reward now, don't you?"

Emma barely had the energy to nod her agreement, but she was pretty sure she'd earned a reward. Regina caught her nod, and slid her fingers into Emma's wet folds, stroking her as she continued to lay across her.

Emma let out a guttural moan as Regina's fingers slid over her swollen clit. "So wet," Regina mumbled, seeming almost as surprised as Emma at just how much a little dirty talk and spanking had turned her on.

Well, Emma guessed she shouldn't be _that_ surprised, since she'd been in an almost constant state of arousal every time she was within ten feet of Regina, ever since this curse had consumed her.

But she didn't want to think about the curse right now. She let out a sigh and another moan as Regina sped up her fingers. Emma was close already, she'd been nearly at the brink before they'd even started, and it wasn't long before she came, the sensation long and expanding, the heat starting at her core and radiating all the way out to her fingers and toes. It had never felt like that before, and Emma wasn't sure if it was because she had never been with the right person, or never had the right mix of darkness in her.

Either way, all she felt right now was a serene sense of calm she hadn't felt since before the curse took over. For now, she wasn't the Dark One, she wasn't evil, she was just Emma Swan, sated and cared for, as Regina coaxed her off of her lap and into the bed, under the covers.

Emma closed her eyes as Regina turned off the lights and slid in next to her without a word, and pulled her close, letting Emma rest her head on her chest as she began to stroke her hair.

Emma was already nearly asleep when Regina spoke. "It's going to be alright, you know. I know you're sick of hope speeches and optimism, but it's going to be okay."

"I know," Emma whispered back, finally agreeing for once, and Regina wasn't sure is she actually believed that, or was just too tired and satisfied to argue right now. "I'll be okay as long as you're with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Regina assured her.

It wasn't long before Emma's breath became steady and rhythmic, and Regina knew she was asleep. Regina continued to stroke her hair, mostly out of nervousness now, as she wondered how they would deal with this, going forward.

She'd just cheated on Robin, and Emma had cheated on Hook. Neither of them had given that a second thought, and Regina wondered if she should be more concerned about that than she was. At this moment, she really couldn't bring herself to care.

At this moment, she could suddenly see herself having a future with _Emma_. They could find a way to remove this darkness from her, go back to Storybrooke, and date, like normal people. Regina smirked at the thought, knowing that she and Emma never did anything like normal people, and they weren't likely to start now, but that wasn't really the point.

The point was, Regina realized, is she could see herself doing _this_ forever: holding Emma, stroking her hair, kissing, cuddling, making love…

Regina swallowed hard as she felt a wave of realization finally come over her.

She could see herself loving Emma Swan.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Regina's eyes fluttered open at the first light streaming in the window, and she rolled and groaned, her right shoulder inexplicably sore. It took several moments to remember exactly why her shoulder was hurting, until the memories of repeatedly lifting her arm and spanking Emma flooded back to her.

Regina smiled as she thought about the night before. It wasn't exactly what she had thought would happen when she and Emma came to Boston, but she wasn't complaining, and she doubted Emma would be, either.

She rolled over to see if the blonde was still asleep, and perhaps offer condolences on how bad her ass was probably hurting this morning, but when she did, she found the bed empty.

"Emma?" Regina said, aloud, as she sat up and looked around the room. There was no sign of her, and Regina tried to tell herself that she must have just gotten up to use the bathroom, or something, though there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.

Momentarily, she wondered if she'd just dreamed the entire night before, but the sharp pain in her clavicle as she pushed back the blankets and stood quickly reminded her of Emma's teeth there. _That_ was certainly not a dream. She lamented that she didn't have her magic here to take these trivial pains away as she made her way toward the bedroom door.

"Emma?" she called again, as she entered the main room of the apartment. The bathroom door was open and she wasn't there, either. Regina scanned the small space and there was no sign of Emma, whatsoever.

"Maybe she went for coffee," Regina mumbled to herself, though she doubted Emma would take her car without permission. Maybe there was a coffee shop within walking distance? Then again, why wouldn't she leave a note?

No, Regina was convinced already. Something was wrong.

She crossed the room to her purse and retrieved her phone, which she hadn't even looked at since they'd come back from the bar. The LED light was blinking, and she powered on the screen to reveal several missed calls from Snow.

"Fuck," Regina whispered to herself as she clicked on her voicemail inbox, and listened to the most recent message.

" _Regina, where are you? I've tried to call you so many times… listen, something is wrong. Zelena got out and we're pretty sure she's going after Emma's dagger. Please tell me you have it?"_

Regina clamped her hand over her mouth, feeling like she might actually be sick. Emma's dagger was still in Storybrooke, protected by her blood magic. If Zelena was able to find it, she'd be the only person able to steal it.

What if she already had, and she'd used it to call Emma back?

Regina dug around in her purse, and sure enough, the keys to her Mercedes were missing. "No, no, no," she whispered to herself, panicked, as she dialed Snow's number.

"Regina! What's going on? Where are you? Where's Emma?"

"I'm in Boston," Regina replied, as she dumped out the contents of her purse, to make sure her keys were really gone. "And I have no idea where Emma is. I woke up this morning and she was gone."

"Boston? Regina, your car's here, in front of your house, but no one's inside."

Regina stopped searching for her keys. "Emma took my car then," she said, shaking her head.

"Why? Why would she do that? Regina, did something happen?"

Regina bit her lip. There was no way Emma ran because of last night, was there? No, it had to be the dagger.

"Snow, I don't know. I don't what's going on, but I need to find a way back into Storybrooke. Emma has the Snow Queen's scroll. It's in my car, Snow, you've got to get it."

"Yeah, okay. You find a way here, and we will get you through, because, Regina, I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Me too."

* * *

Regina changed quickly and tossed her things back into her purse, before searching Emma's apartment for a phone book to call a car service. After several failed attempts to get someone to drive her into what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, she finally opted to rent a car instead, and took off towards Storybrooke.

Her head was reeling, torn between whether she believed that Zelena had the dagger, or Emma had just bolted. Either option seemed equally plausible, and Regina wasn't sure which was worse. Of course, Emma being captured by Zelena should automatically jump out as worse, she reasoned, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Emma had woken up and immediately regretted the night before.

If Zelena had Emma, Regina could save her. This much she was sure of.

If Emma had bolted because she'd wised up and realized she didn't want a sexual relationship with the Evil Queen… well, Regina wasn't sure _she_ would recover from that.

Regina drove faster than she ever had in her life, making it to the town line in under three hours. She slammed the rental car into park when she was sure she was right about where the line was, and grabbed her phone again, to call Snow.

"Do you have it?" she asked, the moment Snow answered.

"Yes, I can see you Regina. I'm throwing it over now."

Regina watched as the scroll materialized from nothing and landed on the road in front of her. When she picked it up, she watched as Snow, David and Henry appeared before her, standing before the pick up truck, looking gravely concerned.

Regina climbed back into the rental car and drove into Storybrooke. She was grateful that she'd thought of making fake IDs for herself and Emma when they'd left in the first place, since she had no intention of taking this car back in the future.

She parked the car again and got back out, heading over to the group awaiting her.

"Have you found Emma?" Regina asked, as she stepped over to Henry and hugged him tightly.

Snow shook her head. "No sign of Emma, Zelena or Gold."

"Gold?"

David nodded. "He was in the shop, with Belle, recovering, and now he's vanished, too. This can't be a coincidence."

"And mom," Henry said, tentatively, as he pulled out of Regina's embrace, "Robin's missing, too."

Regina bit her lip. She'd hoped to put off facing Robin again after last night, but she hadn't really wanted him to disappear.

"We're worried about what Zelena has planned. If she forces Emma to… kill Robin, she'll be lost to us forever," Snow said, quietly.

Regina shook her head. "Emma's stronger than that. She's fighting this with everything she has, she's not going to give in this easily.

"Well, if Zelena has the dagger, Emma won't have a choice," David pointed out.

"Right, the dagger," Regina nodded, bringing her hand up to summon it from its hiding place.

Nothing happened.

"Regina? What's going on?" Snow asked, panicked.

Regina shook her head and tried again.

Still nothing.

"I can't… the dagger… I can't bring it back to me. Someone has it, and they're protecting it with even stronger magic than my own."

"Zelena?" Henry asked.

Regina shook her head again. "No. I think it's Emma."

* * *

Emma sat, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them tightly to herself, as she watched the movement from beyond the bars of her tiny cell. No, cell wasn't even the right word. This was a _cage_ , and she was trapped, like an animal.

When she'd woken up before the sun that morning, she'd had the overwhelming desire to _run_. It was stronger than anything she'd ever felt before, and she slipped silently from Regina's warm arms, gotten dressed, and taken her keys and car without a sound.

She questioned her own motives the entire drive back to Storybrooke, but it wasn't until she pulled up in front of the mansion at the crack of dawn, and found Zelena waiting for her, the dagger held proudly in her hand, that she realised she hadn't _wanted_ to run at all. She'd been forced to.

And now here she was, watching Zelena, Rumple and Robin, discussing something just out of her earshot, while her dagger daunted her from the table across the room. The same dagger that Zelena had held in her hand when she commanded Emma to put a spell on it, to hide it from Regina.

"Regina's not even in Storybrooke!" Emma had cried.

"Well, she'll find you, won't she?" Zelena had sneered. "So do as I say, and cast the spell. You really don't have another option."

Emma had to wonder if Regina really would find her. For all Regina knew, Emma had gotten scared and bolted, and left Regina stranded in Boston, alone. She knew she'd be lucky if the Mayor ever wanted to see her again, let alone come searching for her.

Emma knew she was screwed, stuck here at the mercy of Zelena, Rumple and… Robin? She couldn't figure out what he was even doing here, and no one seemed overly forthcoming with information for her at this point.

Emma sighed and leaned her head against the bars of the cage, earning herself a smirk from Zelena, who stepped away from her conversation and made her way over to the cage.

"What's the matter, Dark One? Feeling a little claustrophobic in there?"

Emma steeled her jaw and refused to answer, opting to glare at Zelena instead.

"Hmm, not feeling talkative today? That's alright. A little birdy tells me your _girlfriend_ is back in town," Zelena drawled.

Emma's eyes widened. "Regina's in Storybrooke?"

Zelena smirked again. "I always knew there was more to the two of you than what met the eye," she said, with a shrug. "But I wonder if this newfound love affair is enough to drive her to rescue you."

"You don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about," Emma insisted, though she wasn't entirely sure that was true. It wasn't like Zelena had never send spies to follow her in the real world before, it wasn't such a stretch to assume she'd do it again.

"Oh, I think I do. Don't worry though, darling, I'm _banking_ on her coming for you. My whole plan hinges on it, actually."

Emma swallowed hard. Of course Regina would come for her. Even if she thought she ran away on her own accord, she knew Regina felt incredibly guilty and unworthy of Emma's sacrifice, and she would attempt to rescue her no matter what.

And apparently, she'd be walking right into a trap.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

"I hope you enjoyed fucking my sister," Zelena commented, nonchalantly, as she toyed with the dagger in her hands. Emma cringed, knowing for sure now that Zelena had had someone watching her and Regina in Boston. She flicked her eyes to Robin, attempting to gauge his reaction, but the man seemed completely unfazed, like he didn't even care.

And Emma found that extremely troubling.

"Unfortunately," Zelena continued, drawing Emma's attention back to herself, "the next physical contact you have with Regina won't be quite so pleasurable. For her, at least."

"Please don't make me hurt her," Emma pleaded, not really knowing what else to do at this point. "Please. I'll do anything you want."

"Yes. You will," Zelena said with a smirk, holding the dagger up again, as if Emma could have forgotten whose control she was under, even for a moment. "Now, let's see how my idiot sister is coming along in her search, shall we?"

Zelena turned and waved her hand, projecting an image of Regina's living room in the large mirror on the wall of the dank room they were in. Emma saw her parents, Henry, and Regina, standing in the middle of the room, Regina holding Emma's white baby blanket in her hands.

"Oh, look, a locator spell," Zelena grinned, turning back to Emma and giving her a wink. "She'll be here before we know it. Do you think she's stupid enough to bring the rest of your family along with her?"

Emma didn't answer, and instead focused her energy on countering Regina's locator spell. She needed to buy time, and keeping Regina far away from wherever she was, currently, seemed like the best option at the moment.

"Regina, what's wrong?" Emma heard her mother say, as the noted the frown appearing on Regina's face.

 _Please, Regina, don't say it,_ Emma willed her, silently, but the message was not received.

"Something's blocking my magic," Regina replied, furrowing her brow as she concentrated harder on the spell.

Zelena whipped her head around again, her icy blue eyes instantly filled with fury as she held the dagger up. "Stop, Dark One."

Emma tried to fight it, but she found herself unable to reject the command, and she stopped her counter-spell, watching in dismay as Regina started to smile, relieved that she'd finally gotten the spell to work.

Zelena was smiling again, as well, as she waved the image away from the mirror. "Tell me, Dark One," she said, "would you like a preview of what you are about to do, or would you like to be surprised right along with Regina?"

Emma scowled, turning her eyes away from the witch. "Tell me," she whispered, unable to refuse yet another command from Zelena while she held the dagger. She didn't really want to know what horror Zelena had planned for them, but she also knew that knowing was better than not knowing. Perhaps with a hint of foresight, she could come up with a plan, somehow. Cursed or not, she was still the savior, she reminded herself.

"Alright, well then listen up," Zelena said, still grinning as she began to reveal the details of her plan.

* * *

Regina wasted no time using her locator spell to poof herself to Emma's location, and shook her head in disbelief when she found herself on the front step of Gold's cabin.

She should have known.

Without hesitation, she blew the door open with her magic, slightly surprised that neither Gold or Zelena had thought to ward the cabin against her. The fleeting thought that perhaps they _wanted_ her to find them crossed her mind, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She needed to find Emma.

"Zelena! Gold!" Regina yelled out, as she began searching through the seemingly empty cabin. "I know you're here!"

* * *

"Oh, what a surprise," Zelena said, looking up toward the ceiling as she heard Regina's voice echoing from the floor above them. "I guess you and your girlfriend get to hear the master plan together. How sweet."

Robin kept a wary eye on Emma as Zelena made her way across the room and pulled on the rope that lowered the stairs into what Emma now realized was a cellar. Her eyes darted across the room to Rumple, who was hunched over at a small drawing table, scribbling something on a piece of paper, though from this angle she couldn't tell what he was working on.

Her eyes narrowed on him, for a moment, as the remembrance that _all_ of this was his fault hit her, but only for an instant, before she heard Zelena's voice again.

"Down here, sis!" Zelena called out, through the now open trap door in the floor. "The party's just getting started!"

Silently, Emma tried to will Regina to turn around and run, but it was no use, as seconds later, Regina was descending the stairs. Green eyes locked with brown in an instant, and Regina practically ignored everyone in the room as her eyes went wide and she darted toward Emma in her little cage.

And Emma cringed as she watched Zelena catch Regina's wrist and slap the magic-blocking cuff on her.

"Too blinded by the sight of you precious little blonde tramp to pay attention to the situation," Zelena observed aloud as Regina turned to glare at her. "See, sis, _this_ is why you always lose."

"Let Emma go," Regina said, coolly, not breaking contact with Zelena's cold eyes. "You want me, I'm right here. Let Emma go. She has nothing to do with this."

"Actually, she has _everything_ to do with this," Zelena corrected. "And I was about to tell her why. Robin, do be a dear and fetch Regina a chair. It's storytime."

Regina watched in disbelief as Robin immediately complied with Zelena's request. "What the hell is going on? Robin?"

"You should have never come to New York, Regina," Robin stated, matter-of-factly, as he placed the chair down. "You should have left well enough alone."

"What? Robin, I _had_ to come and save you!" Regina insisted, standing her ground and refusing to take a seat.

"Guess what, sis? Robin didn't need saving. You think you came in with a shocking revelation? Your wife isn't who you think she is? Well, he _knew_ ," Zelena said, her eyes twinkling as she watched her sister's face. She loved to see Regina tormented like this. It was what she lived for. "You think he didn't recognize my necklace? It was once his, you know. He figured it out fairly quickly, and he chose to _stay_. You lose, Regina. And you'd best get used to that feeling."

"Robin, no. Tell me she's lying," Regina said, her eyes pleading with him.

"Oh, _now_ you care about me? Where was this concern when Emma had me suspended on the ceiling of the Rabbit Hole? Or when you were jumping in bed with her the first chance you got in Boston? Don't act like the victim here, Regina. You're anything but."

"And now both of you are going to pay," Zelena said, grinning as her eyes flicked to Emma once again. "Now, sis, _sit_ or I will make you sit."

Regina bit her lip nervously as she sat down, turning to look at Emma again, who was curled up against the side of her cage, her wide eyes locked on Regina. "It's going to be okay," Regina assured her, trying to sound more convincing than she felt.

"Shut. Up." Zelena rolled her eyes. "Now, here's what is going to happen. Since you so-called 'heroes' couldn't leave well enough alone in the new world that Rumple had the author create, we villains needed to find another way to secure our happy endings. It seems, my dear sister, that you weren't the only one with the foresight to write a fail safe into the Dark Curse. Rumple did the same; one that he was sure was rendered useless, until now."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina demanded, moving to stand again before Zelena pushed her back down into the chair, hard.

"I said sit," Zelena hissed. "You'll do well to do as you're told, little sister. Now, what I'm talking about, is this: true love's kiss may have restored everyone's memories and set time in motion again, but the curse was never truly broken. The curse can only be fully broken in one way, which is when the Savior kills the Evil Queen."

"No!" Emma cried, lurching forward from her spot in her tiny cage, though there wasn't far for her to move. "I won't do it!"

"No, you _wouldn't_ do it," Zelena corrected, holding up the dagger in Emma's line of vision again. "But a recent turn of events has changed the situation drastically, wouldn't you say? And since you two idiots were too busy giving into that carnal desire of yours, Robin had ample opportunity to break me out of _my_ prison cell. From there, it was a piece of cake to convince the ever lovely Blue Fairy to remove my cuff and wake up Rumple. Next, I sought out the dagger while Rumple revised the curse to secure a world where _we_ win. This time, it won't be destroyed, either, since Storybrooke will be wiped from existence."

"The Blue Fairy," Regina muttered, shaking her head. She should have known.

"Now," Zelena continued, ignoring Regina's interruption. "Rumple appears to be finished so perhaps now it's time to get on with the main event?"

Before anyone could respond, Zelena magically released the lock on Emma's cage, and instructed her to stand. "Come on, Savior. It's time to face the Evil Queen. The final battle begins."

Emma cringed, though she had no choice but to comply with Zelena's command. Her choice of words hit Emma hard, as she remembered Henry speaking of a final battle between herself and Regina, which never took place. It was all the confirmation she needed to know that Zelena was telling the truth, and this situation was all too real.

"Fight back, Emma," Regina said, looking intensely into Emma's clear eyes, as she stood to face her. "You're stronger than this."

"I'm not." Emma's voice came out choked as her tears began to fall.. "I'm not stronger than this, Regina. I'm sorry."

"You are. You're the Savior. You have the strongest light magic in existence. Fight."

Emma drew in a deep breath and tried to steel her resolve. Perhaps Regina was right. She'd only been cursed for a few days. Perhaps she could fight it off still. She had to try.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Zelena still smirking, as she held up the dagger again. "Now. It's time, Dark One. Rip her heart out."

Emma felt her hands begin to shake, and she clenched them into tight fists at her sides, trying with all her strength to keep them there. She closed her eyes as more sobs wracked her body, and it was no use. Her hand was raising of it's own volition, and before she knew it, she could feel her fingers delving into Regina's chest.

Emma's eyes snapped open as she pulled back, Regina's heart in her hand now. Green locked with brown and she could see the fear in Regina's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wishing that could ever be enough, and knowing it never would be.

"It's okay," Regina said, giving a small, sad smile. "It's not your fault, Emma. It's alright. I forgive you."

It was enough to nearly break Emma, hearing Regina offer her forgiveness for the act Emma knew she was powerless to prevent at this moment. But, Zelena hadn't yet told her to crush Regina's heart, and though Emma knew it was coming next, she also knew she couldn't let Regina die without knowing the truth. It wasn't fair.

"Regina," Emma choked out, drawing in another deep breath to find her voice. "I'm sorry, but not just for this. I'm sorry because it took me this long to realize what was staring me right in the face this whole time. I thought there was no happy ending in store for me, and now I know for sure there isn't, because you're it. You would have been my happy ending, and I can't stop this from happening. I'm sorry. I love you."

"Enough!" Zelena cut in, finished with the sappy display of emotion from the Dark One. "Finish it, Emma. End this. Crush her heart."

Emma gasped, pulling forth whatever strength she she had left to try to stop herself, but she could already feel her fingers beginning to tighten. "Regina-" she started again, but before she could get another word in, she was cut off by Regina's lips locking onto hers.

She felt her grip on Regina's heart loosen slightly as she closed her eyes and kissed Regina back, with more passion and emotion than she ever had, knowing that this would be the last time.

Regina brought both of her hands to Emma's cheeks, wiping away her tears with her thumbs as she looked Emma in the eyes. "It's okay. I love you, too."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

 _Emma gasped, pulling forth whatever strength she she had left to try to stop herself, but she could already feel her fingers beginning to tighten. "Regina-" she started again, but before she could get another word in, she was cut off by Regina's lips locking onto hers._

 _She felt her grip on Regina's heart loosen slightly as she closed her eyes and kissed Regina back, with more passion and emotion than she ever had, knowing that this would be the last time._

 _Regina brought both of her hands to Emma's cheeks, wiping away her tears with her thumbs as she looked Emma in the eyes. "It's okay. I love you, too."_

"Enough!" Zelena barked from behind Regina, causing both women to jump, as, for a split second, they'd almost managed to forget the dire situation they were faced with now. "Stop stalling, Dark One, end this now. Crush her heart."

Involuntarily, Emma felt her hand squeeze again, but she couldn't look at the heart in her hand, as all her attention was focused on the physical agony she was causing Regina right now. She watched as Regina squeezed her eyes shut and winced in pain.

Emma eyes shot up to Zelena defiantly. That kiss hadn't been enough to break the curse, apparently, but it had done _something_ , that much Emma was sure of. She felt stronger now, somehow, as she looked Zelena in the eyes and said, "no."

"Now!" Zelena snapped, her eyes wild with fury, but Emma opened her hand again, instantly releasing Regina from the intense pain, but not taking her eyes off of Zelena.

"No," Emma said, again.

"What's happening?" Zelena asked, suddenly panicked as she turned to Rumple for an answer. The dagger was quite clearly still engraved with Emma's name, so she knew the curse wasn't broken, and yet she had suddenly lost control over Emma's actions, even with the dagger still clutched in her hands.

Before Rumple could answer, Emma pushed Regina's heart back into her chest, and Regina heaved a sigh of relief.

"I told you you were stronger than this," Regina whispered, triumphantly.

"I'm not," Emma said, shaking her head. "But together, _we_ are."

Regina nodded, and held up her wrist that still donned the magic blocking cuff. "So let's end this, together."

"No!" Zelena cried, holding up the dagger again as Emma raised her hand to release the cuff with her magic. This time, she stopped, as she felt the dagger regain its hold on her again. Whatever Regina's kiss had done, it had apparently been temporary.

Regina looked at Emma, confused for a moment, until the sheer panic registering in Emma's eyes clued her into exactly what was happening. "Emma, come on, you fought it once. Do it again. Please."

"I'm trying," Emma insisted, but she could feel the dagger's hold growing stronger, yet again, as Zelena's wicked smile returned.

"Emma," Regina started again, and Emma fully expected another pep talk about the strength of her light magic, but Regina decided to try another tactic. "Fight. You promised me a happy ending, and you keep your promises. So don't break this one."

Emma's eyes widened. Even in the wake of 'I love yous' exchanged when they though Regina might die imminently, Emma still didn't expect Regina to think she might be her happy ending.

And Emma did promise her one.

And she did keep her promises.

So she made her move. This time, however, she didn't attempt to fight Zelena's hold on her. Instead, she moved to press her lips against Regina's once more, hoping that _this_ time it might be enough to break the curse completely.

And she felt it. That same warm shock of magic she'd felt when she'd kissed Henry when he laid in that hospital bed: the magic that brought him back to life and broke the curse.

True love's kiss.

When Regina's eyes snapped open in surprise, Emma knew she felt it too, and she laced her hands through Regina's hair, trying to pull her closer and deepen the kiss.

Emma could feel something happening now. She could feel the darkness leaving her body. It was working, finally. She was about to be free and she and Regina could _finally_ find happiness, in each other.

What she didn't expect was for Regina to start pulling away, pushing back desperately as Emma tried to hold on longer.

Emma looked at her in confusion as Regina finally broke herself free from Emma's lips. "What? Regina what's wrong?"

"Something's happening," Regina said, in a panicked whisper.

Emma smiled, hopefully. "The curse is breaking. I can feel it."

But Regina shook her head. "No. I don't think it is."

Both women turned as they heard Zelena let out a pained yelp, and watched as she dropped the dagger to the ground as if it had just burned her. Emma guess by the way the metal was suddenly glowing red, it just had.

"Rumple! What's happening?" Zelena cried, as she held her burned hand close to her.

Rumple didn't answer, and instead moved to retrieve the dagger. Emma, however, was not about to allow herself to be under anyone else's control, and she blasted Rumple backwards with her magic - which was once again bright white and light as it had ever been - and poofed the dagger to her, allowing it to hover before her until the metal stopped glowing red.

And it only took a second to realize that Regina was right: something was happening, and it wasn't the curse breaking.

Emma grabbed the dagger from where it hovered and stared in disbelief at the name engraved on it: REGINA MILLS.

"Oh, my God," Emma whispered, turning fearful eyes toward Regina. "I didn't break the curse. I just gave it to you."

* * *

Regina and Emma were both silent as the left the cabin. Regina had insisted that Emma not remove the cuff, and Emma had disagreed, insisting that it needed to be on Zelena. Emma had poofed Zelena, Robin and Gold to cells under the hospital herself, to be dealt with later. Their plan didn't matter now, as they couldn't compel her to kill Regina anymore, and figuring out what was happening now and freeing _Regina_ from the dark curse was priority.

"You have to keep the dagger," Regina said, finally breaking the silence between them as they walked, and Emma nodded.

"I know. I was already going to," she said, softly. "You did it for me and I'll do it for you."

"It's not the same now and you know it."

"It's the same," Emma insisted. "You never used it against me, and Regina, I won't use it against you."

"It's not the same, because Emma, you _need_ to use it against me," Regina said, stopping in her tracks and turning to Emma. Emma stopped as well, and looked at Regina in confusion.

"Regina, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying… I don't have the light in me that you do. I've given in to the darkness before, and I'm probably the last person who needs _more_ darkness. I need to know you will stop me from doing… _anything_."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Emma asked, not really sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

"I don't know, Emma. But I'm scared."

Emma nodded and wrapped her arms around Regina. She knew better than anyone how terrifying the Dark One curse was, but she also knew Regina had been down this road before, and had fought back so hard to be good again.

Regina breathed a heavy sigh as she let her head fall onto Emma's shoulder and returned the embrace. Her mother was wrong: love wasn't weakness. Love was strength.

And she just hoped the strength of _this_ love would be enough to stop her from turning dark.

Again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Wow, guys, I cannot believe I made you wait this long for an update… I'm so sorry, but I'm trying to get back on track with this, and all my stories… it's been a long and busy and slightly rough couple/several months. But life is all ups and downs right? Gotta take the bad with the good.**

 **Either way, at long last, an update!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

"Uh, Regina, did you steal a car to get here?" Emma asked, eying the unfamiliar vehicle in Regina's driveway as they approached the Mifflin Street mansion.

"No, I just borrowed it. It's a rental," Regina said.

"Oh, so you're planning on returning it, then?" Emma asked, with a lopsided grin that Regina had missed while Emma was cursed.

"No…"

"So you stole it then. You badass."

"Can we not?" Regina asked, with an exasperated sigh as the unlocked the door.

"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little," Emma replied, dejected.

"Emma… I'm sorry. This is just a lot."

"Yeah, I know. I was the Dark One twenty minutes ago. Regina, you helped me and I'm going to help you, alright? Everything's going to be fine."

Regina nodded, though she looked anything but convinced. She glanced back at the car once more as they entered the house. "I guess we can always give it to Henry when he's old enough to drive."

"See? Always gotta look on the bright side."

Regina nodded again, though she looked anything but convinced as the lead the way into the mansion. As much as she'd wanted to take the curse away from Emma, she knew better than anyone that the last thing she needed was _more_ darkness in her own heart.

Emma had been a ramped up version of herself under the curse, and though she'd done things Regina was sure she never would have done otherwise, she wasn't even close to evil. Regina knew fighting the lure of darkness off herself a losing battle before it even started.

The curse hadn't begun to feel like it was taking over yet, and she was thankful it hadn't catapulted her into oblivion like it had Emma. Though she had no idea why it was playing out differently for her, she was grateful for the extra time for them to get down to solving it before it became a bigger issue.

And that was exactly what she planned to do.

* * *

"I still don't understand why it didn't work," Emma muttered, as she sat perched on the arm of Regina's sofa, looking down at the brunette who sat on the sofa, hunched forward, rubbing her temples. They had been pouring through books since they'd gone inside, somehow expecting the answers to be there this time even though they hadn't been in the past. Both women were at a loss as to what to do next.

"I don't _know_ , Emma," Regina said, with an exasperated sigh. "Maybe it's not true love."

"Don't say that," Emma said, narrowing her eyes at Regina defensively. "Our kiss did _something_ , just not the right thing."

Regina nodded. "Right. I didn't mean that Emma, I just sometimes wonder if maybe I'm out of chances for real, lasting true love. How many do-overs is one person allowed?"

"As many as it takes," Emma insisted, with a smile.

"What are we going to tell your parents?"

Emma shrugged. "The truth, I guess."

"And you think they'll just be okay with this?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. "They are just going to accept that their daughter is in love with the Evil Queen _and_ the Dark One all at once?"

" _Former_ Evil Queen," Emma corrected. "And up until a couple of hours ago, I was the Dark One. They can't hold it against you when they didn't hold it against me."

"No, I'm sure they can."

"Hey," Emma said, gently, sliding off the arm of the sofa and scooting over beside Regina, draping an arm around her shoulders. "This self-defeating line of thinking isn't going to get us anywhere. You didn't give up on me and I'm not going to give up on you, got it?"

"Okay," Regina conceded, with a nod. "Yes, okay. You're right."

"And, hey," Emma said, nudging Regina with her shoulder. "We don't have to tell them anything _right now_. They know I'm fine, and safe, and that Zelena and her posse are locked up, and Henry's with them for the rest of the day, so…"

"So?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So," Emma said, again, with a sly smile, as she moved from her spot to slide over Regina, straddling her on the couch, before leaning in to kiss her hard on the mouth. She broke away with a grin. "So, I think we still have some unfinished business from Boston."

"Oh," Regina smiled, reaching to cup Emma's face in her hands, and bring her in for another long kiss. "So, I save you, we defeat the bad guys, one of whom I had been _dating_ , transfer a curse, come home and make love?"

"Sounds good to me," Emma said, searching out Regina's lips again, only to be stopped by her hands.

"Emma," Regina said, with a small sigh.

"Regina, listen… there's a lot of shit we've got to deal with, but it's still going to be there tomorrow, you know. That curse isn't going to take over right away, it takes a few days. Trust me, I remember. And I _finally_ feel like myself again. But what I _want_ to feel, is you - and not as some lust-driven Dark One who needs an adrenaline fix, just as Emma."

"What about Hook?"

Emma rolled her eyes and smirked. "Who?"

"Emma!"

"Regina, like I said, there's shit to deal with, but it can wait. I mean, it's not like I didn't already cheat on him, right? And where exactly was he when I was in danger? Plus, you really need the distraction right now."

"Good point," Regina agreed. "Let's go upstairs."

* * *

Emma revelled in her newfound calm, vowing to herself to make up to Regina how she'd spoken to her the night before. Of course, she knew she would never degrade Regina in her right mind, but she needed Regina to know as well.

The moment they were through Regina's bedroom door, Emma's hands were in her dark hair, and her mouth was on Regina's, her tongue seeking entrance that was quickly granted. Though she wanted nothing more than to just rip Regina's clothes off on the spot, she forced herself to slow down, take her time, and explore every inch of Regina's mouth, enjoying the low moans she was already invoking from the other woman.

"Emma," Regina said, in a husky whisper as Emma began kissing her way down Regina's jaw to her neck, suckling and nipping the skin there, without any the harsh biting from the night before. She wanted to be gentler, more like herself, and show Regina how she worshipped her.

"Emma, Emma," Regina kept breathing out, her eyes closed and her head tilting back, giving Emma easier access to her neck.

Emma mumbled incoherent sounds against Regina's skin as she made her way to her collarbone, her hands leaving Regina's hair to make quick work of the buttons on her blouse. Her blouse was on the floor moments before her black bra followed suit, and Regina let out a sharp gasp as Emma's hot mouth made contact with her hard nipple.

Emma's senses were overwhelmed with everything Regina - her scent, her taste, the softness of her skin - everything she'd missed the evening before. Everything had been heightened and diminished at the same time while she was cursed, and now everything just felt _right._

Dark One or not, to Emma, the woman who stood before her now, her eyes closed and her chest flushed and her breathing quick and shallow, was just Regina. She understood her fear - She'd felt it herself as the curse began to take over - but she also understood how much worse it must be for Regina, knowing that so many people in this town still didn't trust her. So many still saw the Evil Queen, even after all this time.

And Emma knew she needed to make sure that Regina knew she didn't see her that way.

This was nothing like how it had been the night before. Their motions were more fluid, in sync, and without even realizing they were moving, Emma suddenly realized she had Regina backed up against the bed. Moments later, Regina was down on her back, Emma on top of her, kissing her mouth hungrily.

Using her mouth, she worked her way down Regina's body again, kissing and sucking and licking until she'd reached her navel, and she sat back on her heels, stradling Regina's legs, quickly undoing the button of Regina's pants. She hooked her fingers over the waistband of her pants and her panties, and shimmied back off the bed as she pulled them both off together.

For a moment, she stopped and just took in the sight of Regina, ready and waiting, her dark eyes hooded with lust as she stared back at Emma.

"You're so fucking beautiful," Emma murmured as she moved to part Regina's thighs with her hands, settling back onto the bed between Regina's legs. "I want to taste you again."

Without wasting even a second, Emma's mouth made contact with Regina's slick flesh, first with a tender kiss, followed by her tongue, as flat and wide as she could make it, making slow, deliberate strokes over the length of Regina's sex. She was so wet, and it drove Emma wild knowing that she was the one who had done this. Cursed or not, Emma revelled in how responsive Regina was to her touch. Prompted by the moans coming from above her, Emma got to work on Regina's clit, licking circles around it, slowly at first and picking up the pace.

She had her hands hooked around Regina's thighs, holding her in place, and as the other woman began to buck against her mouth, she felt Regina's hands seeking out her own, grabbing on and squeezing Emma's fingers tightly as she came hard against her mouth.

"Emma!" Reginas's voice was a breathy gasp, and Emma smiled against her slick flesh, giving her another kiss against her clit before lifting her head to meet Regina's eyes.

Regina smiled as Emma crawled up her body before laying down next to her and kissing her mouth again. Regina rolled onto her side, looking solemnly into Emma's eyes.

"We'll figure out a way to beat this, right?" Regina asked, her voice timid as the question held all the fears she was battling inside herself right now.

"Together, we will. We always do."

"I do love you Emma. I have for longer than you know. Probably longer and deeper than than I even realize."

Emma smiled again, running her fingers through Regina's dark hair, still damp with sweat. "I love you, too."

Before either of them could say another word, Regina pressed her lips hard against Emma's, letting go of all the fears and doubts and worries for just a moment as she let herself get lost in the feel of her lover's mouth against her own.

In spite of the fact that she couldn't let go of how unfair it was that they had this curse hanging over them in the midst of their awakening feelings, she still knew that no one else would have stuck with her right now, other than Emma.

And right now, that was everything.

* * *

 **To be continued…**

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